Unraveled Bandages
by Mr.Kanjick
Summary: Kuzen never left Eto in the 24th ward, instead he kept her with him and raised her, so what happens when another half-ghoul is created? A certain Half-ghoul named: Ken Kaneki... Etoken
1. A Tragedy

He sat there holding his head in his hands, tears silently streaming down his face. His form was that of a broken man, or a ghoul rather. But who wouldn't be broken after doing what he had to do to the only person he'd ever loved and in turn loved him back? Their love was strange, certainly not what one could call natural, but who had the right? Not humans, not ghouls, no one. The love between the ghoul: Kuzen and the human: Ukina, was not only strange, but their was an unspoken boundry that had been crossed by both, and now one had paid for it, the human, with her life. Not only that, but the means was far worse than the ends, because the ghoul had been forced to do it. Now only he and his daughter, the product of love between the two races which bared seering hatred towards one another, remained.

As if on cue, the hybrid baby began to wake. She never cried, no, only gawked at the world around her, as if she was mesmerized by it all, even though there was absolutely nothing mesmerizing about it. The world held only violence and intolerance... the way Kuzen saw it he had only two options: Go with the world and hate, or walk his own path and love. Anyone who knew him before Ukina would be sure he would direct hatred towards the world, but the Kuzen who emerged after being encompassed by Ukinas love would choose peace.

The ghoul stood up, drying his watery eyes, and walked over to the small wooden crib that held the baby. He peered over into the crib and and looked upon the smiling face of the young baby girl who lay in the spot, unassumingly marveling at the world around her. Kuzen felt his lips curl into a small smile as he gazed upon his and Ukinas creation. His mood began to lift slightly, granting him freedom from his somber, depressing thoughts.

The baby began out stretching her stubby arms to her father, trying to grab at him, or motion him to come closer, either or. Kuzen complied outsretching his hand to the baby, allowing her to grasp it. She was so full of life and so innocent, Kuzen noticed. From the time of her birth to now, she'd always been like this.

The baby took his pointer finger and stuck it into her mouth as she began gently suckling on it, showing her affection for the man who'd been with her her entire life. Kuzen wouldn't dare let that innocence be taken away.

* * *

Eto sat in the booth of the coffe shop she'd decided to occupy for the day, laptop open in front of her and the cursor blinking, waiting for its operator to type in the words necessary to continue her story. Though there was something wrong today... Eto was experiencing something she wasn't accustomed to, as she rarley felt it. Her brain wouldn't push the story on in her mind, anything she happen to conjure up seemed stupid and quite bland. It wasn't like her, considering the title she published when she was still in puberty: 'Dear Kafka'. Renowned for its suspenseful nature and ability to draw the reader in, it sent her from street bum to rich girl. So no, she was not accustomed to this feeling. She was not accustomed to writers block.

Eto sighed and leaned back in her seat, today was going to be annoying for her... Any day without writing seemed so boring to her... Writing was the only way she could express her creativity, well there was also dawning, but she wasn't particularly good at that. Actually she was horrendous, it was awful chicken scratch at best...

She repositioned herself and lead forward once more, placing her head in her hand and frowning, blowing a strand of light green hair out of her face. The same blank screen stared back at her mocking her with its wordless features. Eto, in a fit of childish rage, stuck her tongue out at the screen as if it were alive and could be offended by such an action.

"Eto?" A voice asked quizically, distracting her from her stare down with her laptop. It was her father, the manager of the coffe shop she was attending, she enjoyed her fathers company greatly, he was so kind and loving, she'd no idea what she would do without him. "Is something the matter?" He asked a slight concern in his voice. _Even if he is a bit nosy..._ She added.

"I can't think of anything to add!" She complained as her father listened, eyes on her as he polished cups. "I'm not used to writers block and I hoped to fill the day with writing and at least get another chapter done." She frowned and whimpered slightly provoking a smile from her father. "Now I'll have to find something else to do..." She moaned in annoyance as she closed her laptop and set in her messenger bag.

Kuzen, no, Yoshimura was happy his daughter had such a well-rounded hobby, even though her stories were a bit dark, and even more happy she made money off of it, it made him proud. She more than once offered to buy him a bigger store, one with more... 'Pizaz' as Eto would word it, but he declined each time. For one: it was **her** money and two: Ukina liked small simple places.

"I guess I could read..." She suggested as she pulled out a small black book with white lettering. "I would love to finish this story by the end of the week, it's really captivating..." She mused to herself, and to her father if he was still listening, as she found her place. Though, as she did the chiming of the door opening brought her eyes from her book and up to the entrance, where she saw a two young college students walk in, though one could tell a lot from how a certain person enters a room.

The first boy walked in, keeping his arms to his sides and his head tilted downward ever so slightly as if he were subconciously trying to hide himself from the world around him. His friend, or she guessed that's what he was considering how close they were walking, came in loudly. Well, in a physical sense, he kept his chest out, a big smile graced his face and his headphones, big and red, were blasting music so loud she was certain he would be deaf by the end of the year. Her eyes lingered on the first boy, for whatever reason, and followed him as he took a seat near the window of the shop and looked outside, most likely admiring the scenery. It was a bright and sunny day out. Though Eto's most inspirational work came when they sky was covered in a blanket of gray fog.

He was strange, no that wasn't quite the right word, unique. Yes that was it! Eto could tell behind that innocent exterior lay a complicated and fascinating piece of exsistance. Eto bit her thumbnail subconciously as she watched him. To the more casual onlooker he would appear a normal boy, but Eto was a writer, and she knew better.

There was something about him, something that would take a carefully deductive person to reveal. As she looked onto the boy trying to figure out just what was hidden in his eyes. A persons eye's could tell a lot about them and the boy she was looking at eyes must tell of a tragedy. The way he stared outside revealed a slight sense of hurt,from what she could deduce, something that he was trying hard to hide whether he knew it or not.

* * *

Kaneki sat there staring out the window, watching the people go by enjoying their lives. People, he never thought anything of people, while most people have a tangible fear of ghouls and are cautious, Kaneki always had ghouls in the back of his mind, but he never really felt threatened by them. What sort of fulfillment could a ghoul have out of him? He was scrawny, weak and to be honest he was just plain mushy. Kaneki didn't know how ghouls liked their meat, but he figured they enjoy something with a bit more tenderness.

"HEY KANEKI! WAKE UP!" a certain energetic voice called to him, snapping him from his thoughts. His best friend, only friend rather, the man who brought him back from his daydreams, Nagachika Hideyoshi, was a colorful (figuratively and literally) boy who seemingly enjoyed embarrassing Kaneki on a daily basis, he would always speak loudly and had almost no sense of shame. He was, in fact, the exact opposite of Ken Kaneki.

Ken Kaneki was an introvert in just about every definition of the word. His only friend, besides hide, were books. They were the only moments his father left him after his death, the father he hardly knew. It was calming, the smell of the pages, the sound they made as he turned the pages he felt as if his father was there with him, even though he never knew the man.

"Sorry, Hide..." Ken trailed off as he stared at the dirty blonde. "I'm just a little tired..." And why wouldn't he be? Despite mostly confining himself to his apartment, paid for by his mothers sister, a woman he refused to acknowledge had any relation to him, he was often tired from staying up late reading books.

Hide frowned slightly and sighed, Kaneki was never a good liar, something was troubling him and he wasn't going to speak about it, best to pry the information out of him. "So, where's this cutie you've told me about? The one with the purple hair and the eyes to match along with a nice ra-"

"Hide!" He interrupted before the blonde had gone to far in his reciting of Kaneki's description aloud. No sense of shame... Kaneki thought as he watched Hide snicker at his embarrassment. In fact Kaneki would prefer him not talk about miss Rize at all, he had a particularly bad feeling about this date, that it would go horribly wrong. But, to be fair, this was his first date ever. He had the right to be a little nervous.

Hide then sighed, "Well, I have to go to the restroom, don't leave me while I'm gone." He waved as he walked to the back, right past a certain green haired woman. He noticed her earlier, when he walked in, eyeing them, particularly Kaneki, from across the shop with a certain investment in her eyes.

* * *

Eto watched as the boy's eyes followed his loud friend, all the way up to the point of the door shutting. He quickly pulled a book out of his backpack and flipped open to a bookmarked page, probably hoping his friend would take his time with his self relief. Eto's eyes drifted from the boy to the book he was reading, in fact she was quite familiar with the book. The Hanged Mans McGuffin, her latest release, and it was pretty successful, in fact she was certain there was something concerning it today? _Perhaps today was the same day of the release of it?_ She decided to shake the feeling off, as it really didn't matter, she was far more interested in this Kaneki fellow.

Eto walked over to the booth he and his now preoccupied friend were using, her presence going completely unnoticed by the boy, entranced by her novel. It was quite flattering, that someone she'd deemed so interesting was so entranced by her work. There was something about the reader that drew her to him, suddenly the pain in his eyes was lifted, even if just a little, when he started his read. Eto wondered if all books did this or just hers... It didn't matter really, just something interesting.

Eto then slammed her hands roughly on the dark brown table, which caused a loud boom to emenate and made the boy jump in his seat. He wasn't the only one effected by it though, from the back of the shop, she heard a loud crash, and a few curse words come out of it in a failed attempt to be hushed. "Sorry, Touka!" She called back as she carefully seated herself across from Kaneki. Touka replied with a few mumbles which caused Eto to smile.

"M-may I help you ma'am?" The boy asked, still shaken by the sudden intrusion of her hands upon the table. Takatsuki grinned a little, she found his shyness kind of cute.

"Yes, actually!" She answered reaching into her back pocket for a notepad and her aprons breast pocket for a pen. "You see, I find your entire... Mannerism... fascinating." She said marveling at the boy, eyelids just above half open. "Definitely the making of a main character for a tragedy." She said, trying to make that sound as much of a compliment as she could. "Your name?" She asked, twirling the pen in her slender tiny fingers, almost to fast to be human.

"Ken Kaneki..." Kaneki said, mesmerized by the strange woman before him. His first impression of her was that she was beautiful. Her hair flowed intricately from her head, framing her face, which held a smile and a pair of green eyes. Her skin looked so soft and smooth. A part of Kaneki wanted to feel it.

"Ken Kaneki..." She muttered as she wrote on her notepad. All her attention drawn to the tiny yellow booklet.

"U-um miss-" Kaneki was hushed before he got to finish his sentence. The woman had outstretched her thin arm, which had a baggy, dark green sleeve wrapped around it, and placed a finger at Kaneki's mouth, forcing him to stop talking.

"Ladies first." She said, almost mockingly, as she retracted her finger. Kaneki flushed as she retracted it, wondering why she didn't let it linger for just a bit longer. It all felt so... relaxing. There was something about this woman that made his body relax when she spoke(Besides earlier, when she scared his hair white).

"Now," she began "Tell me, is there a reason you have such a sad look in your eye?"

Kaneki was taken aback, out of all the things she **could **have asked him she asked him that? It wasn't so much strange as it was uncalled for. Nobody, save for Hide, ever worried for his personal well-being, what was she getting at? The only words the college student could manage out were "I ummm..."

"Of course if you don't feel comfortable talking about it you don't have to." The strange woman said, letting him know he at least had an option, though with a hint of disappointment was evident in her voice. Whoever she was, she was generally interested in him.

"N-no, it-it's fine..." He said, regaining his composure, "I'ts only that; i don't really get questions like this often..."

He notice the girl frown slightly, not one of disappointment nor annoyance, but rather sympathy. "Isn't really noticed by others..." she muttered lowly as she scribbled away on her note pad. Even the motion of her hand whilst she wrote relaxed him, he fought the urge to release a tired sigh as she continued to press the pen to paper.

"Have you... lost any loved ones in the past? friends, pet, mother or father?" The way she spoke, Kaneki noted, sounded as if she spoke from experience. Though the more prominent thought in his mind was about his mother, whom he missed greatly. His mother would make him those delicious burgers whenever she had time to. she never complained about her job, nor did she ever lose her cool, even when her sister came, asking for money, which she would never pay back, from their already struggling family. She always had a happy smile on her features. The very same smile that this woman had...

"I lost my mother when I was a child... I never knew my father..." he revealed, almost reluctantly to his interviewer. Once again she took notes, careful not to repeat what was told to her, lest she upset him(If she hadn't already)

Eto looked back up, her face turning from interested to sympathetic. "Is there anything else?" she asked, not so much to write it down, but rather just to listen to his story, his life was one of such anguish that it made her... sad. Which was a contrast to her normally happy demeanor. _Ken Kaneki huh? What a complex creature..._

She watched her subject fidget slightly in his seat, he obviously didn't feel comfortable with what he was about to say, or not say. "Actually," she began "why don't we continue this some other time?" she suggested, putting the notepad back and once again twiddling the pen rapidly between her fingers. "Now it's your turn."

A confused expression came over Kanekis face. _My turn? _he wondered _My turn for what? _He asked once more, as a dumbstruck look formed on his face.

As if she were inside his head, the woman answered his mentally asked question "You... had some questions for me, did you not?" she asked, somewhat awkwardly.

Kaneki shook his confused, yet relaxed_(Strange) _head, snapping himself back into reality. "Oh, Y-yes!" he stuttered "**Who **are you?"

Eto threw back her head in a fit of laughter at her own stupidity, she **was **a forgetful person, so naturally she **would **forget to introduce herself. _But as whom? _she wondered. _My Pen name: Takatsuki Sen or my given name: Eto? _She paused trying to choose until finally" _Why not both... eventually._

Eto smiled a devious smile. "Let me answer your question with another question." she ordered more so than offered. "What is that book you're reading there?"

Kaneki looked down. "O-oh, it's _**'The Hanged Mans McGuffin' **_." Kaneki replied, curiosity lingering in his voice.

"Mhmm..." Eto acknowledged, "And who, I ask, may be the author of this book?" she asked, a knowing smile spread across her face as she began tapping her fingers upon the hard cover.

"That would be, Sen Takatsuki..." he replied.

"Would it now? You know: I happen to know Sen Takatsuki..." she teased, placing her chin upon a bridge made of interlocking fingers all the while maintaining eye contact with Kaneki.

" R-really!?" the college student asked, excitement lacing his voice. "What's she like?" his attempt at unraveling the personality said author.

"Mmmm, Why would you care?" Eto teased further, intentionally trying to provoke him.

"S-she's my favorite author..." he replied, slightly embaressed. "She's so camera shy I've never even seen a photo of her, I'd at least like to know that much."

"Oh... Alright." The cryptic author replied, somewhat flattered that she was his so-called 'favorite author'. "Sen has a rather strange, borderline illogical personality... she does this weird thing with her writing utensils and has long... curley... green hair." she described herself, all the while a smug grin latched itself onto her face.

Immediately Kaneki caught on, his lips parted slightly in surprise as he was about to exclaim in joy of his new discovery. Or he would have, had he not been silenced once again by a single finger.

"Shhh, dont be so **loud**, Ken." she said as she smiled brightly, hoping it would brighten his day.

The physical touch of Sen Takatsuki's finger, coupled with the warm smile she gave Kaneki caused his cheeks to redden. He never would've guessed that she was this pretty, her strangeness didn't surprise him, now that he knew her true identity. After all she was the author of works such as the 'The Black Goats Egg'. But her beauty was a surprise, however a pleasant one. She didn't have the long straight hair, big behind, nor the largest breasts, but that's probably what made Ken see her as so beautiful, her beauty wasn't artificial, it was real, she didn't rely on cheap products nor the size of body parts to be attractive, but rather she just came as she was and didn't care one way or the other who thought what of her.

But the thing that drew him more to her had to be her ability to relax him, in fact that's why he found her writing so compelling. The way she described certain feelings, certain scenes, and certain ways of speaking sent shivers of pleasure down his spine which in turn caused him to focus on nothing other than her work. And once again he found himself melting at the feeling of her fingertips on his trembling mouth and once again regretting it as she pulled away almost slowly, as if she wanted to make him suffer.

"You said that I'm your favorite author?" She inquired, "Tell me... What do you like most about my books?" She asked, almost seductively, or rather that's the way it seemed to Kaneki.

"I- uh..." He said now visibly shaking in embarrassment, It must be a gift really..., he deduced, How does she know how to make me so uncomfortable?

Eto giggled at his visible shaking. "Awwww, how cute..." She commented, whimsely, "You have a little crush on Miss Takatsuki don't you?" She inquired, teasingly.

"N-no!" he stumbled, "I'm just kind of... star-struck..." He replied, trying his best to stop his voice from cracking.

"Mmhmm..." she replied, not convinced. So, to prove herself right she centered a finger at his chest poking onto it softly, but hard enough that he would feel it through the clothes. She then began trailing her finger, in a walking motion, up his chest. "I'm sure that's all..." She lingered on her last words, dragging them out until she reached the tip of his chin. A deep red enveloped his cheeks. A slight smile of victory emerged on her face as she pulled her hand back.

However, she decided that she'd tortured the boy enough and decided to reward him, for putting up with her games. "Now then," she began cheerfully, all sense of seduction leaving her voice, "how about I sigh that book you've got there?" She suggests happily.

Kaneki felt his heart leap, his favorite author, not only took the time to analyze him, but now offered to sigh his book? It was a book worms dream come true. "Y-yes please!" He replied eagerly, like a child getting candy, causing Takatsuki to giggle. She twirled the pin once more as she opened the book to the front page and gave her signature.

She always enjoyed the act. Giving a signature takes so little effort, but gives the recipient so much satisfaction, that's when it hit her. That thing concerning her book, was a book signing. How could she forget? Today she was scheduled for a book signing and she was... Eto quickly glanced at her wrist watch. _10 minutes late already! Oh no no no no!_

"Ah! Ken, I'd really like to continue this conversation some other time!" She said, as she shufled through her bag, looking for a certain peice of plastic.

_She certainly is strange..._ Kaneki thought as he watched her dig in her bag. He also noticed, despite her personality, how normal she was. Most people in her posisition wouldn't involve themselves with commoners like him, most celebrities wouldn't frantically dig through their bags in public. She was normal and it was beautiful.

Waking him from his admiration of here she handed him a piece of crumpled paper. "When you're ready, come by and see me, we'll continue this later..." She said as she quickly turned to walk out. Kaneki was awestruck as he stared at her and then down to the peice of paper... Did his favorite author just invite him over?

Eto stopped her quick stride when she saw Touka, a young high school girl, standing there watching her. She was giving Takatsuki a disapproving, yet amused look. "Was teasing the poor guy really necessary?" She asked

"Mmmm, no. But it was fun." She replied as she walked out of the coffee shop.

Touka shook her raven haired head and sighed, she would never understand Eto. The two were friends, but Eto was just so... Random: she was always happy, always writing, and always doing something weird. At the same time though it was a refreshing contrast to Touka's, admitly, bitchy mood. The waitress sighed as she walked over to the table, which seated only one of the college duo, with her own notepad out ready for their orders.

Though, before she could get there, the door chimed once more and in entered a purple haired woman with glasses. She wore a white, frilled, dress with a blue undershirt visible only from the arms. Slung over her shoulder was a black leather bag. And on her face a smile and Touka's heart sank. Rize had moved to the 20th ward over a month ago, Despite her reputation, she had been fairly docile, which the staff of Anteiku had been greatful for. Well, it was either that or she was causing havoc in other wards.

Still, even though Touka was only familiar with her from the month they've known each other she picked up by on some of her mannerisms. For example: she smiled cutely... when she was going to eat. And of course she wasn't going to eat the prepared food that Anteiku had in the back, which they would distribute evenly. No, Rize had said 'there's nothing quite like staring at your preys contorted face as you eat them alive.' The very way the worlds rolled dreamily out of her mouth when she said that made her shudder. Rize was the definition of a physcopath.

Upon his dates entry Kaneki stood up, his encounter with Sen Takatsuki forgotten momentarily. "Miss Rize!" he called out unnecessarily to her, considering they were the only one in the coffee shop really. He smiled as she waved back to him politely, a smile he would describe has friendly... but there was something more to it than that. Kaneki decided not to liner on it as it didn't really matter and more than likely was a product of his nervous mind.

At this same time, Hide emerged from his rather long bathroom break, just in time to see the purple haired woman's greeting to Kaneki. the blonde boy smiled to himself mentally congratulating Kaneki on his 'score', as Hide would name it. Proudly, like some sort of father, hide walked up to his best friend and draped a sleeved arm around his shoulders. "Ohhhhhh, Kaneki. good job!" He verbalized his congratulations as Kaneki shook over the impact of hide's body upon his own.

"Hide!" Kaneki replied, in embarrassment, upon noticing Rize's reaction of politely covering up her mouth and giggling behind it.

"Well, i wont keep ya' waitin'" the blonde said as he strolled away from the two, giving Rize a friendly hello wave on his way out.

* * *

Not much later Rize and Kaneki were in a sandwich shop, plates in front of them, both sandwiches barely touched, Rize's lack of eating was due to her diet, as she said, Kanekis was due to some awful feeling in his stomach. He felt strange now, almost nervous. The look that waitress gave him as he left with miss Rize. It was a look of sadness, not to see him go, but rather like she knew something terrible he didn't. Again, though, perhaps it was him being paranoid.

"Mr. Kaneki?" A voice shook him from his worriment. He looked up at Rize's purple eyes and felt some sort of relief, all day she'd been giving him kind looks and smiles, as she asked him personal questions. Though, he did find it strange that whenever he tried to ask her about herself she answered very cryptically and quickly changed the subject. Though she may just be shy, he decided as he stared at her.

"Is something wrong?" She asked, curious.

"Oh, N-nothing!" he lied "I'm just a bit of a day-dreamer that's all."

"Oh, my..." She giggled, in Kaneki to be relieved just a bit. She's very secretive, but she's also very kind... Kaneki decided.

It was late now, the date had lasted much longer than they expected. Kaneki, for once, was breaking out of his introvertive shell and talking freely and in front of a pretty girl! He felt like he could take on the world right now. The nervous feeling in his gut had left and he was enjoying himself. To be honest though, their date might have ended 30 minutes ago, had Rize tried to hint at her discomfort at walking home alone, especially with ghouls on the prowl. Luckily, Kaneki caught the hint and offered to take her home, what were the odds that they would be attacked ghouls, right?

So there they were, walking down in an empty, dark street, under a rail lift, just outside of a contruction sight, and Kaneki was walking her home. Suddenly, the purple-haired girl stopped in her tracks, putting a worried, curled finger to her lip and biting it slightly. Kaneki noticed the abrupt stop after taking a few steps of his own and not hearing an echo after his steps. Confused, he turned around.

"Rize? Is something wrong?" He inquired, slightly concerned.

"Ummm... mr. Kaneki..." She stumbled with her words, face tilted slightly downwards. "I had a fun time tonight..."

Kaneki smiled, Happy his date pleased her. "I did as well." He replied.

"Actually, I noticed you are staring at me in the coffee shop..." she inched closer, now pressing her body to his, "I just wanted to let you know I'm interested in you... as well..." She whispered, sensually in her ear, almost licking it as rolled off her tongue.

Kaneki felt his heart beat rapidly in his chest, like a cat stuck in a bag. His face flushed deep red, and a small, pleased smile formed on his mouth. Then, in a sharp contrast to the feeling of happiness, a sharp pain flashed through his body, emanating from the area where his shoulder meets his neck.

Kaneki opened his mouth to scream, but nothing came out, he wanted to, but he couldn't, it was as if some unkown force was keeping him from exhaling. Rize pulled away, blood dripping from her lips, and glasses covered in the sticky substance. Rize is a ghoul!? Kaneki repeated his discovery in his mind as he fell back, his bag spilling books out, which in turn were covered in dark blood.

Kaneki looked from the gaping wound on his shoulder and up to Rize whom towered above him with blood red glowing eyes. Kaneki had never seen a ghoul before, he always felt them as something that didn't actually exist, like a bed time story for children, despite the news reports. No, actually he never imagined it would happen to him.

Rize staggered back, hair in her face and a crazed look in her now black and red eye. "I said i was interested in you Kaneki! Didn't I!?" She yelled as 4 red apendages erupted from her lower back.

Kaneki pushed himself off the ground as hard as he could, using a new found adrenaline to propell his stinging body, trying to run away from his natural predator. However, she had other plans. Kaneki felt a scales appendage wrap around his ankle and pull, causing him to fall flat on his face.

"Oh, Kaneki, I thought you liked me." She teased as she dragged him back and slammed him through a sheet metal wall.

Kaneki rolled on the dirt floor of the construction sight, his body was beyond his control as he tumbled, finally stoping as he hit a metal wall. His head was spinning, he could hardly feel his legs and arms and he dare not open one eye, lest he fell it fall out. _This isn't happening, this isn't happening... THIS IS NOT HAPPENING!_ He frantically repeating it in his mind, hoping he'd awaken in his soft bed, or(somehow) reality would recreate itself. Neither was going to happen.

He watched in horror as Rize leapt through the dust kicked up by his entry through the wall, in the form of a predator stalking its helpless prey. He once again could not scream as he felt two thick tentacles pierce through his abdomen, lifting him up into the air and twisting around inside of him. This time his scream made it out, a sickening screech that sounded as inhuman as Rize, which only make her laugh in delight. "Oh don't tell me your dead Mr. Kaneki!" She said. "That's to bad... I really did like you." She co'os, unaware of the sound of snapping wire.

Kaneki felt his vision fade as his eyes rolled into the back of his head, the last thing he remembered, was dropping to the floor after hearing the sound of metal slamming on the ground.

_I'm not the main character of a novel or anything..._

_I'm just a college student who likes to read..._

_But for the sake of it all..._

_If I were to be in such a position..._

_The novel would certainly be..._

**_A Tragedy._**

* * *

_**Yay! I was working on this for 5 days straight, along with my other story, "Offspring of a rabbit". And there are a few things I'd like to say as well**_

**_ If you are one of the followers of aforementioned story, do not freight, I am currently in the middle of the next chapter. And this does not mean I've lost my passion for Touken, it remains my OTP. I simply wanted to see what i could do for... well lets see... how about KanEto! that has a nice ring to it! And I'm also crying as I type this after-chapter note (Which I put in almost all my updates, mind you) because the last episode of root a has me in tears... Please Review!_**


	2. What am I?

There was a loud, echoing boom in the darkness that enveloped Kaneki. It seemed close yet far and was almost deafening. Kaneki pondered what this could be, this loud boom. An explosion? A cannon? A gun? there were many options as to the identity of the sound, but Kaneki couldn't quite place it.

Next he felt the roaming of soft hands around his head, lifting it momentarily and then setting it back down. Kaneki noticed something about these hands, and what he noticed was that... they smelt absolutely **delicious**. Kaneki felt disturbed at this revelation. It wasn't the smell of a nice soap, nor a body wash, but rather food, almost like the american style burgers his mother used to make before she passed, and as far as the college student knew, there was no such thing as a "burger fragrance..."

Kaneki opened his unnaturally heavy eyelids, to see the slender form of a nurse bending over him, adjusting the monitor, which a wire connected into the bottom of, which trailed down, and then curved, and led onto a bed, and to the tip of his pointer finger. Kaneki took a few moments to process the scenery. At first he felt like he was looking though someone else's eyes or he was dreaming, but the memories of that night came flooding back to him. The gnashing of Rize's teeth, the four, almost aquatic tentacles that erupted from her lower back, and that pleased grin when she impaled him. Then he knew this was no dream.

Taguchi hovered above the sleeping boy... adjusting the vital monitor, because it had seemed to be acting up, according to it the patient was waking up, but there was no physical sign of any stirring. He'd been unconscious for an entire week now, and nothing had changed... Though he was in much better condition than when he was fond. _It would be a shame_, she thought, _if Dr. Kanou's hard work is all for nothing..._

The nurse sighed as she began to straighten her back to stand up, She also felt incredibly bad for the boy. He was practically stew when he had been found underneath those steel beams that had flattened him and the... **girl**. Suddenly, very quickly and surprisingly strongly a hand grabbed for the collar of her nurses uniform, causing her to squeak as he pulled her closer to his face. The expression upon his face was one of shock, terror, or maybe just confusion... probably all three. His mouth was covered by an oxygen mask and was fogging up quickly due to his heavy breathing. Out of all the things he could have said... all he said, or asked rather was "Where is miss Rize?"

* * *

Kaneki now sat in front of Dr. Kanou, the very same doctor whom had saved his life at the cost of Rize's own. _Miss Rize..._, the ghoul entered his mind once more... That night felt like a dream to him... It seemed his body had healed completely(Save for a scar on his torso) and he never had been mauled by a ghoul, nor crushed underneath steel beams. To be honest the whole thing was Rize's fault, **she **attacked **him **and he had every right to be mad at her. However, for some reason he wasn't... He wasn't because there was another possible way to look at all this. Rize was simply doing what nature had demanded her species due to gain nutrients and live on, truth be ghouls and humans are both simply animals. Humans, who kills ghouls in order to maintain their continued existence, and vice versa, so does either species truly bare any blame for taking the life of the other?

"Mr... Kaneki?" A voice shook him in from his thoughts, causing him too turn his attention to the gray haired man in front of him. The man, his doctor, was somehow old looking and young looking, he seemed somewhat ageless. He had the amount of hair a man in his 40's would have(provided he took care of himself) but the wrinkles of a man in his early 60's, His eye's held a young fire, but an old kindness, it was all... **Unsettling**. "Are you there?" He asked, concern in his voice.

"Sorry..." Kaneki apologized quickly and bowed slightly. "I'm... 'here', I just... it's all so unreal..."

"That's to be expected," Kanou reassured, "You were in a very traumatic accident, but yet here you are, your mind is having trouble comprehending it." He paused, letting Kaneki absorb the information before speaking again. "I wish I could begin this with something less... **cliche**, but how are you feeling now that you've come back to the land of the living?" He asked, smile on his face at his attempt at a joke.

_Accident, what accident? _Kaneki wondered, all he remembered was being attacked by Rize, and then nothing... No, that wasn't quite true... he remembered hearing snapping and then a heavy crash unto the earth... Still not quite knowing the details, he decided to answer the mans question, while not being to particular about his answers.

"Strange, not bad, but... I feel like a ghost, but at the same time i feel like I've been given a new life..." which was all true, he did feel **different**.

"Wow, you're quite the poet." Kanou commented, smirking.

"Well, I do read quite a bit... but, Doctor, I have a question..." He changed the subject quickly, turning more serious. "The woman I was with, what happened to her?"

He saw the frown form on the doctrine's pale lips and knew: Rize was in a less fortunate state than he was. Which came as a shock to the college student. Rize was a ghoul and she'd been killed or was in critical condition, yet he survived? It didn't quite make sense to him, ghouls(to his knowledge), are stronger than humans, and can endure far more punishment, so, if that was the case, then how is it that Rize was the less fortunate one? It didn't make sense, but to be quite honest right now, the entire **world** didn't make sense.

"I assume you're wondering how you survived..." The doctor spoke up, as if on cue twiddling his wrinkled thumbs. "You see... the young woman that was accompanying you... took the blunt of the impact... she was killed the moment the steel beams collided with her..."

_A beam accident, that was it? _he wondered as he vaguely recalled being near, or in, a construction sight. _I see... the vibrations from Rize smashing me around must've caused the beams suspenders to give way... _He smiled a little, not because of her fate, but rather the irony of it all... If she'd been a little more careful during her smashing him about, then maybe he'd be dead and she'd be alive. Nevertheless he was grateful things turned out the way they did.

"But, **her **death was your salvation." Kanou explained. "You see, by some off chance, when the steel beams fell on top of you crushed the exact same vital organs!" he continued a bit of escalation in his normally calm voice, which he now began to deescalate to it's natural volume and tone. "So, we placed the most vital ones necessary, from her corpse into you, whilst removing some of your less needed organs, that were destroyed." He paused. "You, Ken Kaneki, are a miracle."

To be honest, Ken didn't even hear that last part, actually everything after the words 'we placed the most vital ones necessary, from her corpse into you' was muffled by a loud ringing. _Miss Rize's organs? _Kaneki thought in disgust, as he placed a trembling hand to his stomach... It was not so much that he had the organs of a ghoul, nor the organs of a woman, but rather the organs of a dead person inside him. Then, his stomach began to growl lowly.

"Oh my, are you hungry?" Kanou asked, concerned, "We haven't fed you yet, have we?" Ken remained silent, staring at him blankly as Kanou snapped his wrinlked fingers and called for the nurse he'd, not 30 minutes ago, startled so horribly. As if she'd been standing only two feet away, and not across the hall as she was, A cute nurse with brown hair tied in a pony tail and big, brown eyes, poked her head into the area from behind the curtain at an odd angle.

"Yes, Dr. Kanou?"

"Bring some food up for our young guest... he must be starving..." the doctor said, rather cryptically to the nurse, who visibly paled before nodding and rushing out of the room.

The old/young doctor turned back to Kaneki and pulled up a brown clipboard that held a single sheet of paper. "Now, Mr. Kaneki..." he paused, "I realize you must be eager to get out of here and back to your life, right?"

To be honest Kaneki was still hardly paying attention to the doctor, instead his head was slightly hung, and eyes in a hazy appearance. He was still trying to process the fact that his organs had been replaced, though in the time between his discovery and the nurse entering his room and leaving, Kaneki had started to somewhat come to terms with it. However, he did hear that much( faintly as it sounded in his ears). "Oh, y-yes..." He said lowly, but loud enough for the words to be intelligible. Instead of falling back into his zombie-like state, Kaneki focused on staying alert.

Kanou frowned, before sighing. "Well..." He said, clasping his hands together, "I'd like to, but I've decided it would probably be best if you were to remain in the hospital, for at least a week." He paused, letting Kaneki absorb this new information. "You just woke up after all, I'd just like to see how well you fare and, should you retain an average health, ill release you..."

Kaneki agreed, this was for the best, but honestly, even if he didn't agree he wouldn't have argued. His mother constantly told him 'It's better to be the one getting hurt than to to be the one hurting others' and because of that Kaneki developed a submissive personality, and many people took advantage of that, but nonetheless he never changed... always doing what others had told him.

"Yes, I agree..."

* * *

And so a week did pass, rather uneventfully really. No, actually that was a lie something **had **changed, something about they way he reacts to food. At first he thought it was just the hospital food(Stereotypes and all that) but according to the hospitals rating, or at least patient reviews, the food was actually very delicious. Kaneki had told his concerns to doctor Kanou who simply said: _"It's more than likely a side effect of the traumatic event you'd experienced, don't worry after a while you should be back to normal. _So, Kaneki had no choice but to trust the doctor, after all there's a reason he **was **a doctor right? But, yes, it was a rather boring week considering what he'd undergone recently.

Now, Kaneki once again sat where it all started, in that same seat where he and hide sat, the same seat where he met his idol author: Takatsuki Sen. In short, life was normal once again. Though his body still couldn't stomach food without vomiting, he found some solace in coffee of all things. Kaneki, despite frequenting the coffee shop known as 'Anteiku', never really liked, nor disliked, the brown beverage. Now, though it was like the giver of life. But, he shouldn't be at Anteiku right now, he should be at Kamii(his university), studying and passing classes. However another thing he felt he couldn't stomach at the moment was all that... Kaneki had never been entirely tired out from his time in college, actually he was practically a prodigal student, but for some strange reason the mere thought of attending college made his stomach churn.

To distract himself from the thought before it once again made him feel nauseous, Kaneki dug in his knapsack for '_**The Hanged Man's MacGuffin**_, a book that he'd yet to finish. _Well, _Kaneki thought, _If I'm skipping class then i might as well enjoy myself... _He opened the novel and flipped to find his place and released a sigh of contentment as he relaxed in the booth.

* * *

Eto walked down the concrete pathway which led to Aneiku, she'd been going there more often now, hoping to see that Ken Kaneki fellow but had been disappointed each time. It had seemed that Ken Kaneki had dissipated from existence. But, her waiting for him did give her some time to write, and it kept her father company as well. Her father's only company were Touka, Koma, Irimi, and(on the rare occasion) Renji, only one of which was particularly talkative in anyway. She did feel bad for her father(even though he honestly wasn't much of a talker himself) having so little company, a nice man like him should really be more cherished.

Her thoughts then once again shifted to her... she struggled to find the correct term... Ah!, he was, for lack of a more masculine word(As this one was reserved for females), her muse. He was, as she stated, such an interesting being. You could look the world up and down and wouldn't hardly find a person quite like him. In fact, upon reflection, she hoped she didn't scare him off. After all, she had crossed some rather inappropriate boundaries. But, in her own defense, his flustered face was rather adorable.

Eto stopped, having arrived at her destination and looked upon the dark brown door, which mirrored the coffee itself in a strange, yet appropriate way. The author could smell the alluring scent of coffee wafting through the tiny cracks that separated the door from the wall. _Here's hoping... _she thought as she opened up said door and brought herself up the stairs to a second door, behind this door, as brown as the first, the smell of coffee was even more evident than before, the smell of her father's coffee, which she would swear to gods that she didn't believe in was the most delicious treat in life for **any **ghoul, or human for that matter. The green haired woman lightly and carefully gripped the circular handle and twisted until she heard the mechanism within unlatch and until the knob, without unnecessary force, stopped turning.

_Speak of the Devil. _was the woman's first thought as her eyes rested upon a certain black haired boy whom, once again, was enthralled in the latest release of a certain 'Sen Takatsuki'. She noticed something about his eyes, which still held their previous story, that there was something new. Upon first glance one would mistaken it as exhaustion(which may have been part of it actually), but no, it ran deeper than just simple sleep deprivation, far deeper. In his eye's was the look of a man who was changing, for the better or worse she could not tell, physically or mentally she could not tell. But in the end **that **only made the college boy more intriguing.

Once again, as if their first meeting was being replayed before them, Eto walked over to the boy, who, as before, was to enveloped in his book to even notice her presence, and stopped. Now she could have continued the reenactment of their first meeting but she decided against it, There was something even deeper being revealed in his eyes that even she could not know, and she didn't want to let it flee in fright because of her playful nature. So, instead of her causal, random, cheerful nature she decided to greet him more formally.

"Hello, Ken."

The familiar voice shook Kaneki from his book, in all honesty he wasn't necessarily used to his given name, despite it being... well... his given name. No one, not even Hide called him Ken, everyone always refereed to him as 'Kaneki'. Out of curiosity as to who else would use that name, Kaneki looked up to see someone he never thought he'd meet in public again. Of course he still had the piece of paper she'd handed him a week and a half ago, but he thought she'd forgotten who he was by sun up. It was not to call Sen a shallow or forgetful person, but rather himself a **forgettable **person, he wasn't the type of person one worries about(Again, besides Hide).

"M-Miss Takatsuki?" He said, still surprised at her appearance before him. However, she had another type of appearance, one in the form of her styling for today. She worse her hair in a rather odd style, as if she'd try to tie it in a bun, but instead gave up halfway, Big red round glasses, and a tan short sleeved shirt with a dark green apron layered over it. Ken was beginning to wonder if she'd **dyed** her hair that color as she seemed to have an affinity for it.

"Ahhh, so you **do **remember me..." she teased as she rocked on her heals. " I was begging to think you were avoiding me." she feigned emotional pain, which cause Kaneki to shake his head frantically.

"N-no! It wasn't that I... was just...", he searched for a way to reveal his status for the last week without causing alarm, "Hospitalized..." he said lowley.

Eto had most certainly not expected that to come out of his mouth. Was he some sort of closet dare devil, was he sick, or was he attacked? Rather than asking three time she asked just once, forgetting her sad facade she got closer to him, face inches away from his(Causing a light shade of read to form on his cheeks) and asked, with great concern: "Oh my what happened!?" It wasn't quite a scream, but rather hushed worriment.

"You mean... It wasn't on the news?" He asked confused. Kaneki was certain an incident like **that **would be a front page story.

Eto laughed a little and said: "Oh... I don't watch television to often... most of the time I'm writing... or sleeping..." she added reluctantly.

"Well recently I was involved in an incident concerning steel beams..." He said preparing to tell the rather unfortunate tale, before he was interrupted by the author.

"That was you?" She asked mouth open, and eyes sad. It was an adorable sight, like a kitten or a puppy begging for food or to be pet by the hand of their master,. He knew it was rather strange to think of her in this way, but it was hardly in any of his control. He found himself choking almost, trying to push his voice from his throat out to his mouth to speak... it was difficult though... He didn't know why, but it was because of her. It was not a star-struck feeling, something similar, but deeper than that.

"Yes..." He replied, trying his hardest not to choke upon saying it.

"Forgive me..." she said, apologetically, "Here I am teasing you about your absence, when in actuality you had been hospitalized... And had your organs transplanted."

Kaneki stared at her confused, she'd said she didn't watch television so how was it that she knew so much? "I thought you don't watch television?"

Sen smiled in reply, like one would smile at a child or a pet. "There are more way's to get the news than through a television." she began. "In fact I believe of we stopped watching so much television and started enjoying our **own **lives a little more, instead of someone else's, half of the things you see on the news, you wouldn't see. People let others decide for them and never really formulate their own opinions on a subject. That, dear Ken, is called ignorance." she stated matter-of-factly as she turned her answer into a philosophy speech. She was about to move, to say something else, Kaneki noticed, when she abruptly stopped and a smile crept onto her face.

"Listen, Ken," she began kindly. "I know you were hospitalized recently, but you never **did** take me up on my offer to continue our conversation at my home."

Kaneki blushed at the way she said that, while kind, it also sounded as if she was going to force him to come to her house. Not that he would mind, after all, who would mind such an invitation from an idol? He was about to answer her invitation(well not really a question but rather a hint), but she beat him to it.

Eto grabbed her 'muse's' wrist and pulled him closer, all most over the table, to her. "So let's go now." she practically breathed on his surprised face. The green haired woman dragged Kaneki out of the both, out both doors and onto the sidewalk where they then made their way to her residence.

* * *

Kaneki now sat on a comfortable sofa in the living room of Takatsuki Sen. Her house was actually quite modest considering how much she made for her works, It was a two story, had three bedrooms and two baths, hardwood adorned the floor and the lighting on the ceiling amplified it, the walls were of gray brick and a single chimney sat with him in the living room. All and all it was a very American styled home. In fact it was a perfect fit for her in some strange way. When they had arrived, Sen had dimmed the lights and told him to remain on the couch while she prepared some food for her guest.

She then emerged from her kitchen with a plate of sandwiches and two coffee cup's in her hand. "Sorry, it took so long... the coffee from this morning had gotten cold." she apologized, smiling, as she sat herself down on a leather chair angled to the left of the couch in which Kaneki sat. She then sat the plate down on the table in the center of the room.

They sat there in an awkward silence, Takatsuki looking at Kaneki expectantly. What was she expecting? Kaneki wondered as he shifted awkwardly in his seat, averting his eyes.

"Well?" she asked, "Eat one." She said motioning to the combination of bread, dairy, and meat.

"Oh! Right S-sorry..." he said, mentally cursing himself for his rudeness. Previous endeavors with food forgotten, Kaneki unwittingly put the food in his mouth. To him, it tasted like every other thing he'd eaten since waking from his accident... **awful**. Immediately he regurgitated the food back onto the plate, eye's watering and tongue twitching in disgust.

"I-im sorry, Miss Takatsuki..." He apologized, face heated in embarrassment of his intolerance for food.

She simply laughed an shook her head, making Kaneki wonder, for a split-second, if she'd done something to the food to make that happen.

"Don't be," she reassured him, "I've never been the best at making food, even simple stuff like sandwiches. Too much mayonnaise?" she asked scratching the back of her head.

"No, it wasn't your food it was me... Doctor Kanou said to me that: my intolerance to food was caused by the traumatic incident I endured... My mind thinks is should be dead and my body is coping with Rize's organs so I-"

"Did you say 'Rize'?" she asked, tone going from friendly to serious, her face filled with worry.

Kaneki gulped, did she know Rize? _Did she know she was a ghoul? She must have... Why else would she be so concerned all of a sudden? _"Yes..." He said reluctantly... A silence fell between them before Takatsuki spoke up.

"Kaneki... why don't you tell me what **really **happened that night... skip to the most 'important' part." she said as she clasped her hands together in front of her soft face which was contrasted by hard, serious eyes, and tight lips. It made Kaneki's heart beat faster... there was something she want telling him and it made him uneasy.

"That night I was walking miss Rize home, because she said she feared ghouls would attack her..." He scoffed silently at the lie. "But halfway there she..." he paused, remembering how Rize lulled him into a sense of ease before she tore through his flesh, and played with him as if he were a new toy... Until he broke. "She um... she-"

"Tried to eat you..." Sen finished for him looking down...

"Y-yeah... So you knew too, right? That Rize was a ghoul?"

An eerie silence settled in the room for a short period of time before the author spoke up once more.

"Kaneki... Are you hungry?" she asked looking at him.

"Am I hungry?" he repeated his confusion evident in his voice. "I don't Know what you mean..."

The author sighed and then said "I'll show you..."

Takatsuki held her finger pointed upwards to the ceiling, studying it intently with big eyes. Kaneki was curious as to what she was doing (He was beginning to think she was just plain crazy...)

Next she took the pointer finger of her other hand and slowly, roughly broke the skin of the upwards pointing finger, causing blood to ooze slowly from it. For some unexplainable, disgusting, and disturbing reason Kaneki couldn't look away as the blood trickled slowly down her finger, unto her palm and down to her slender wrist, it would have flowed lower, had she not angled her arms at him. "Here, lick it up..." she commanded.

This shook Kaneki from his trance. He couldn't do that it was disgusting... yet... he **wanted **to. Kaneki gulped, feeling his mouth begin to salivate heavily as he looked more intently at the dark red liquid that traced her arm. He began panting as he reached for it, Closer... closer his arm got to feeling the bodily fluid that drained out from the authors wrist and then, almost hating himself for it, He pulled back and leapt off the couch away from the girl.

"NO!" he yelled at himself, "You don't want that..." his body was shaking uncontrollably, he looked down at his legs which now looked as if they were filled with angry bee's, his hands were twitching violently. He'd lost track off where he was, he was more concerned with the fact that he wanted to not only lick the blood, that sweet blood, from Sen Takatsuki's arms, but rather he wanted to rip off her arm and feast upon it. _No, No, No, No,No,NO! _He mentally yelled,violently shaking his head from left to right, _Why... why do I want that? _He asked feeling warm, bitter tears crawl out of his gray eyes.

Suddenly, Kaneki found himself pinned back on the couch, by a pair of thin, yet surprisingly strong, arms. He looked up at his restrainer to see Sen Takatsuki hovering above him, looking down and smiling calmly, though her eye's were different, or more accurately, her **right** eye... t looked just like Rize's except it held no psychotic stare but rather, one of sadness despite the smile that rested just underneath it. "I'm sorry, Ken... But if I don't do this you'll most definitely starve." She said just as she shoved her finger into his mouth.

Kaneki protested at first, trying hard to reject the taste... that sweet succulent taste... _NO! _He yelled mentally. _No,no,no,no,no,no... Y-yes, yes, yes... _His thoughts changed and his resistance stopped as he realized the blood tasted like the tastiest, richest, most delicious thing he'd ever experienced in all his life... J_ust like mother's cheeseburger's._

In fact he found himself mentally begging Sen to leaved her slender soft finger in his mouth, as she retracted it, leaving a string of blood mixed from saliva connecting Kaneki's mouth to her finger. It was strange, he felt full, well fed would be the correct way to describe it, as if he'd just eaten a small meal. He was breathing heavy, yet calming down, tears still stinging his eyes and staining his cheeks. Out of all the things he could have asked her right now, only one was on his mind.

"I'm... a ghoul?" He whispered, looking up at the green haired woman who had him pinned, now gently, to the couch. She nodded...

"And you are, too?" He asked.

This time Eto verbalized her answer in a calm soft voice, trying to calm Kaneki down and stop him from having another spasm. "Yes..." her voice sounded like a soft hiss, purposely sending kaneki into a relaxed state.

"Why do you taste so good then?" he whispered back, although his whisper was much more frantic than hers, but a whisper nonetheless.

Eto began carefully stroking her guests forehead trying to lull him to sleep, He obviously had had a strange day, perhaps a good rest would do him good. "Shhh," she hissed softly, "Just rest we'll talk when you wake up..." she whispered softly now closer to his ear, as she watched his eye's roll back, his lids cover them, and felt his breath steady signaling his loss of consciousness.

* * *

_**I'd like to start off by thanking every single person that review. Thank You All for being so supportive, especially for a pairing so random and somehow not (That makes sense right?) Anyways Thank you again! Please Review.**_


	3. To Be A Ghoul

Kaneki felt odd, weightless really, like he was suspended in reality. Not the sky, nor the ocean, he just was. His left side was burning up, and he could feel his eye stinging. He tried screaming, but nothing came out... He could feel the air rushing past his teeth and lips, the vibrations of his vocal chords, but he heard nothing, nothing other than a high pitched ringing. Suddenly a feminine hand with nail polish adorning it, gently placed itself over his left eye, pressing slightly, then leaving as quickly as it arrived. The pain receded, his eye stopped stinging and he felt comfortable... Almost as if someone had thrown a comforter over him in his sleep.

Kaneki sighed a little, closing his eye's letting the feeling caress him, sending him into a state of pure bliss that traveled every nerve, every cell of his body began to feel numb with pleasure... And then... He woke up.

It wasn't a violent emergence from sleep, but rather a regretful and longing-to-go-back-to one. Kaneki didn't stand up, he simply laid there staring at the ceiling of the room as his memories came back to him. Sen Takatsuki's finger probing his mouth, her pinning him down, and the delicious taste of blood in his mouth. In all honesty he should've leapt out of bed right there, ran home, and called the CCG right there, but he stayed. Though he was a little uneasy, he figured if the author wanted to eat him, she would've by now._ Unless of course she's like Rize, in that she likes to play with her food...,_ Kaneki added.

Kaneki tried to move, but found himself restrained by two thin, but strong restraints wrapped around his upper body. He also felt a weight on the top of his head and two more restraint's on his legs. Unable to move his head, due to the death hold, he moved his eyes up to be met with a green puff of hair stands that tickled his forehead. He felt a warm breeze being blown into his hair and the restraints upon his legs shifted slightly and low, muffled groan pressed against his hair. Kaneki had already almost deduced what lay on him and his face turned beat red.

He then moved his free arm up and pushed the covers off himself, revealing none other than a sleeping Sen Takatsuki, who hand entangled her body with his own. Kaneki felt his body heat up, he suddenly felt very itchy, uncomfortable, hot... He began breathing quietly faster, trying to suppress the arousal he felt. "M-miss Takatsuki?" He asked, hoping she'd wake up and release him from her, while not provocative(besides the entanglement of legs), warm soft skin, which could make any male buckle at the knees.

"Mmmm, you're awake, finally?" She yawned as she shifted the posisition of her head, and unraveled her limbs from the new ghoul. She then rolled away, almost to the edge of the rather big bed they both occupied. The female ghoul sat up, stretched her arms and yawned once more. "It's a little past noon." She wore a white, dress-like night gown which, though used straps that showed her bare shoulders and top of her cleavage, was dense enough to hide her more private areas from Kaneki, her hair was unruly and had dozen's of cow licks, her eyes were underlined by bags which showed just how tired she was, but in a flattering way. Kaneki noticed that the dress was practically just a sheet on the bottom and he assumed she hadn't worn any undergarment's... He did his best to look away

"I'm sure-" she stretched, cracking her back, "you have some questions right now..." She paused, to fall back onto her soft bed, head just hanging over the edge, letting her hair flow down. Kaneki's suspicions were confirmed as, while not quite seeing **it**, he did see her legs end just before her groin began and noticed no fabric, when her gown flew up from the sudden movement. He made sure not to look once more. Instead just focused on his questions.

"I realize I should be focusing on more important things, but, why were you... **restraining**... me this morning?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

Sen laughed, throwing her head even farther back. "Restraining?" She asked, adoration of some sort in her voice. "That is called cuddling, Ken." She said matter-of-factly holding up her pointer finger in the form of a lecture...

Kaneki's face flushed, due to the term she used for it. "Find then, why were you cuddling me?"

"Because you're so handsome, Ken Kaneki..." She moaned out, stifiling a laugh. Kaneki gasped at this in embarrassment, causing the author to smirk. "Just kidding... It's because you were crying..." She said a little somberly.

"Crying?" Kaneki asked, embarrassment forgotten.

"Yeah... You didn't stop whimpering since I force fed you my blood... The only way I could get you to stop was by holding you." She paused, "You were a momma's boy weren't you?" She added, a little sad.

"I suppose so..." He replied. "Anyways, to more serious matters... I've come to terms(surprisingly easily) that I'm a ghoul an-"

"Half-ghoul!" She corrected quickly, throwing her finger up yet again.

"W-what?" He asked confused.

"There was something I noticed when i forced fed you." She said, rising from her posisition, right eye closed. "Only one of you're eyes-" she opened the closed eye and pointed to it, revealing that red and black eye, "had a Kakugan."

Kaneki nodded understandingly, "So, you're a half-ghoul too?"

"Good job!" She said cheerfully clapping her hands once, "Now, as for why I taste good to you, despite being a half-ghoul, myself, is a little more complicated..." She paused before rooling off the bed and on to her feet... "Here, follow me."

Kaneki followed Sen down to the kitchen where she leaned next to a knife holder, making Ken wonder what exactly she did with those knifes. She also hand human foods like bread, ham, cheese, and milk around, it must be for appearances. he determined as he looked around.

"Now then!" she said pulling him from his thoughts, "On to ghoul biology 101."

_She's a little too nonchalant about all this..._ Kaneki thought as he sat down on a dinning chair.

"Ghouls have Kagune, Kakugan, impressive healing abilities, and nearly unbreakable skin, besides against other ghouls. But what gives them this?" She asked in rhetoric. "Well, both humans and ghouls have certain types of cells known as RC cells, though the amount is different for both. A healthy human, of both genders, normally has around between 500 and 800 RC cells. A ghoul, on the other hand, can have between 1,000 and 5,000 RC cells." She paused and placed herself closer to Kaneki, inches Away from his face.

"But what happens when the two interbreed?" She asked, one again, rhetorically, placing a pointed finger inside one that she had formed into a hole, putting a rather inappropriate image in the boy's head. "You and I, half-ghouls, are made... Half ghouls have blood that can pass for human, but-" she lifted Kaneki's shirt, revealing a pale body with random red spots, she then quickly grabbed a knife from her knife holder and slammed it against his stomach. It broke instantly, snapping in half. "-skin that can stop bullets."

Kaneki hadn't had time to scream, he didn't even realize what had happened, until he saw the knife bounce off the floor and by then the fear had passed.

"But," she continued, "like I said, only a ghoul can pierce the skin of another ghouls naturally..." Sen then lightly skimmed her finger down Kaneki's stomach, where she stopped, just under the tiny gut Kaneki had poking out, it sent shivers down his spine. Then, she lightly pressed and drew blood from him, taking some of the red substance and licking it before making a sound of satisfaction.

"Any more questions?"

Kaneki, holding back a blush, simply shook his head, while he pulled his shirt back down. Sen's personality was a bit too open for his own, but somehow he liked it. He never expected her to be so... Free spirited...

"Good, because we've got some errands to run..." She said, looking at him.

"What errands, miss Takatsuki?"

"Well, first we are stopping by your place so you can get a shower, change clothes, and pack your belongings, because you're moving in," she said as if they had planned this, when in reality she'd decided this on her own. "And then-"

"Wait, what?!" Kaneki asked, not quite sure he heard her right. "Moving in? Why would I move in?"

"Well... To be honest, Ken, you're a rather weak specimen." she said, folding her arms, "And the way I see it, you have three paths from here on out: Stay with me and let me show you how to live this life, be alone and eventually die from either starvation or doves, or stay alone and cause trouble, bringing doves to the 20th ward, which is not good for anyone..." She told him, raising an eyebrow.

Kaneki gulped, "I'll choose option one..." He said lowley.

"Good!" She said, clapping her hands again. "Now, I'm getting in the shower." she told him as she walked off, "Don't be peeking!" She coo'd as she disappeared into the hallway.

* * *

Touka was picking up empty coffee cups unto a brown tray, the shop's traffic had been surprisingly modest today... This is either a sign of something good or something bad. She decided as she picked up yet another cup. Suddenly in came two familiar faces, one more so than the other. It was that boy, that boy who should be dead at this point, him... and Eto.

"Hello, Touka!" She yelled, causing the raven haired girl to smile. "Hello, Eto." she replied, with her own version of cheerfulness: Which consisted of a slight smile and an upbeat, but low-toned voice.

"Say? Is my father around here by any chance?" The author asked looking around the empty shop and placing a finger at her lip.

"Uhhh, yeah, up stairs." she said pointing to the next flight of stairs, "Why?"

Eto merely smiled another of her cryptic smiles and leaned closer to her, "Oh... You'll find out soon enough..." she said. Touka began to worry, as much as she considered the managers daughter a sister, Eto's surprised were either good or bad, there was no in between. She could only watch with a single mouth open as the author strolled past her, black haired college student practically falling over behind her trying to keep up. Well... she was dragging him by the wrist...

* * *

Yoshimura stood by the window of the break room, cup of coffe in one hand, the other behind his back, pressing against his vest in the style of a stereotypical formal bow from mid evil Europe(London specifically), and his eyes relaxing due to the scenery. The 20th ward was his favorite place in Japan, the world perhaps, originally though, he hadn't understood the appeal of it. Why would any ghoul want to live in **peace** with humans? Now he wondered who wouldn't.

Though, he supposed he would still be like that, like the One-Eyed-Owl that he made himself out to be in order to protect his daughter, because of Ukina. As kind as Eto was now, she wasn't always this way, she used to be destructive and hateful. Yoshimura didn't like to recall her being that way, besides, all that passed when she published her book. He smiled, and looked over to the picture taken of him and her when she was only 16 years old, she held the book up to her chest a happy smile on her face and he stood beside her, hand rested upon her shoulder. It was a happy memory and the beggining of many more...

The entrance swung open, and in marched said girl with a boy in tow behind her, being dragged by the wrist. "Daaaaad!" She sung aloud as the boy behind her tripped over his feet. Yoshimura turned and smiled, happy to see his daughter, but frowned when he saw the college student behind her. Eto... Was never one to bring home boys... and to make things worse this one was a human... Yoshimura knew he wasn't exactly the best example of that, but still. He just hoped the boy didn't end up in her stomach...

Eto pulled her new roommate along with her as she entered the break room, she always liked it in here. It smelled of coffee and leather, two of her favorite fragrances, it always had this feeling about it too, a felt as if you were placed outside of time and into a zone of pure comfort and relaxation, _however this is not the time for that._

"We have a situation..." She told her father, turning serious suddenly.

Kaneki watched as the two left the room to discuss, most likely about him. One question ran through Kaneki's mind: _Why did that waitress call her Eto?_ He wondered, as he looked around him. He was surrounded by fine china, wooden cabinets, and leather furniture, on which he decided to sit down. The leather squeaked beneath him as he sat down and relaxed on the couch, it was surprisingly soft considering it was leather. He noticed three cups sitting on the tabletop in front of him: one red, one blue, and one red with a blue accent. They were arranged in a way so that it would look as if the cups were a familly... It was kind of sad... If he understood correctly, the manager of this coffe shop was her father, a ghoul and her mother was a human. He connected the dots as red being ghoul and blue being human, while the hybrid cup was Sen. As sad as it was, though, it was heart warming.

The door re-opened and in stepped the old man and Eto, they both had the same smile on their face, Definetley related...

Sen turned to him and gave him a thumbs up symbol and a smile, which would have been reassuring... If she'd told him anything. She had remained humming the whole ride and when Kaneki had asked her where their next stop was she simply said: "It's a surprise!"

The old man now sat before Kaneki, staring at him awkwardly... The new half-ghoul felt as if he had become a statue, who's only purpose was to stare at him for all eternity, which was why Kaneki jumped when he finally spoke.

"Mr. Kaneki... In your life, how many jobs have you held?"

Kaneki had been asked this, before, it was an embarrassing question, because the answer was: none. He averted his gaze and blushed in embarrassment... "I uhhhh..."

"None?" The old man replied, smiling, making it was obvious that it wouldn't be a problem.

"Y-yeah..." He affirmed, scratching his cheek and looking down.

"That's no problem... It'll be fun... Working here..." He said. "Our staff is composed over entirely ghouls, so you'll get to learn the way ghouls live rather quickly." He smiled.

"Wait!" He said, shocked, "Everyone?!"

The old man nodded

"You mean the waitress, the guy with the funny hair, and the other woman?"

"Ah! You mean Touka, Koma, and Irimi. Yes everyone of them..." He then extended out a big, wrinkled hand and said "By the way, my name is Yoshimura, however most people here call me manager." He giggled a bit at the ironic nickname.

Kaneki took the hand, shakily, and felt it grasp his tightly, much to tight for a man his age, but then he was a ghoul. The older ghoul seemingly controlled his arm as he shook his hand, causing Kaneki's arm to move in the way you would see a worm do so.

"Now then, when can you start?" Yoshimura asked, quizically

And before Kaneki could even reply, or think to reply, his hostess spoke up. "In about a week from now.", she answered for him.

"A week?" Yoshimura asked, surprised.

"Sorry, I want him to get a bit more accumated to his new biology... I imagine it can't be easy."

Yoshimura nodded and said "A week it is then..." He turned to Kaneki, "See you then." Their hands broke and Kaneki and Eto left the shop as quickly as they arrived.

"Ok!", The female ghoul said/ sighed, as she sat in the drivers seat of the car, "we have one more stop and then we're done..." She placed the key inside of the ignitioned, turned it, and the engine roared to life causing the car to vibrated and steadied its rythm. Honestly the only reason she took it was for Kaneki's belongings, which to be honest wasn't much, his clothing, his books, and some films(all of which were requested by Eto, films she hadn't seen and couldn't find, that she would want to).

"Ah, miss Takatsuki-" was all Kaneki got to say before Eto stuck her hand over his mouth, she'd had enough of that 'miss Takatsuki' bullshit. Miss was a word reserved for old women, and she was anything but, she was only 25 for Christ sake. Still, she wasn't mad, he was just being his adorable normal self, the shy boy that he was. But they were to be living together now, for a while, it wasn't permanent, a year at most and he needed to get used to calling her by her real name. Kaneki had told his landlord he was moving out in two weeks, that was a lie he was moving out today, but two weeks notice is always nice. When the time came, Eto would help him find a new one near by, but until then, they were roommates.

"My name is Eto." She said, eyes still on the road ahead of her. "We are going to be roommates for a while so please use it." She said

"Ahh... OK, **Eto.**" He said, a little umcomfortabley, causing Eto to smile. She moved her hand over his face and to his hair and began to ruffle it. "Good boy." She complimented, causing Kaneki to blush and relax at the same time as she softly played with his hair.

* * *

Soon enough(probably to soon for Kaneki's taste, considering how relaxing Eto's head massage was), they were at their destination, a shop deep in the 4th ward called HySy. It was a rather odd name for a shop, Kaneki decided, as he looked up at the plastic board above it. In subtext it read _**Mask and Tattoes shop**_. Kaneki frowned slightly, his mother told him if he'd ever gotten a tattoo she'd never forgive him, he'd hoped that Eto wasn't trying to make him get one, in fact, how could he? To get a tattoo a needle must pierce your skin to leave ink.

"Errmmm, Eto," he asked, nervous, "what are we doing here?"

Eto kept walking while she explained. "Well, you see Kaneki, ghouls will often need to hunt for their food, and when they do that they are liable it be seen by onlookers and their faces will be discovered. That is why you need a mask, because should the time come, you'll need to hide your face."

At the thought of himself eating humans Kaneki began to feel cold. _I... I can't eat a human! Not a live one Anyway..._

He watched Eto knock on the door three times and return to her idle stance. After the owner of said shop did not open up, she decided to take it upon herself to barge in, "Uta!" She called, the name most likely belonged to the owner. "Come out!" she ordered. There was nothing, nothing but veiled objects upon stands. They waited, but no one came, it was just them, or so Kaneki could see. He began walking closer to Eto, to whisper: "I don't think he's here..."

"Oh no, he's here, he's just trying to see who will break first," she whispered back, "he almost never leaves this place."

An audible sigh was heard, causing Kaneki to jump a little, and then a voice. "I see, so it's like that huh?"

Kaneki looked over to the direction of the voice, hoping to see its caster. At first there was nothing, nothing but white drapes and tiled floors. Then a man, who was tall, lanky, and bony, crawled out from underneath the curtain. The man was dressed in black, had a part of his head shaved off, and had Tattoos covering his visible body. "I never could out last you..." He said looking away, slightly annoyed.

"Awwww, is someone mad?" She teased, walking up to the man, who's hands rested in his pockets, and pinching his thin bony cheeks. For some reason, Kaneki felt a sense of jealousy. He didn't know why, but he felt like something that belonged to him was being tampered with. He shouldn't have, that wasn't right, to think of Eto as an object... But either way his jealousy was quelled when the dark tall man sleeper her wrists away and rudely asked what she wanted,

"Bah, you're so mean to me big brother Uta!" She teased.

"We're not related, don't call me** 'big brother...'**" He said, annoyance in his voice.

"I just don't get why you always yell at me... You're so nice to Touka and Yomo, the latter of which you used to hate."

"Yeah, but Yomo wasn't intentionally an asshole to me."

"I just like to tease..."

After a full five minutes of light bickering, Eto finally spilled why she came over. "Anyways, that guy over there." She threw her arm at Kaneki, who simply waved his hand nervously at the Tattooed ghoul. He noticed, however, when the man saw him a smile formed on his face. Not one of bad intention, nor malice, but simple kindness. Uta, that's his name right?, Lifted a hand and motioned Kaneki over to a stool that held on it: measuring tape. "He needs a mask, he's a half-ghoul like me... Though his is on the left..."

Kaneki plopped himself down on the stool and straightened his back up. "I'm very sorry your first impression of me was me arguing with Eto..." He apologized, "She's a friend, and I love her to death, but she just pushes my buttons..." He said as he pulled out a drawer next to him and held a small white ball, but upon further inspection, which meant Uta turning it over, it was an Eye-ball. Kaneki felt his stomach grumble and crave the treat at the same time... His human side still hadn't adjusted to his ghoul nature yet...

"Want one?" The man asked, holding the brown eye in front of him.

"Ahhhh, n-no, thanks though." He said, shaking a little. Uta shrugged and plopped the eyeball into his mouth.

"Let's see- um, what's your name?" The Ghoul asked.

"Ken Kaneki..."

"Well, Ken, do you have any hobbies?" Uta asked, while setting up the tape next to Kaneki's head and measuring, then writing the measurements down on a blank paper.

"I like books?" Kaneki answers unsure. "I'm sorry, but is this necessary?" He asked.

"Oh yes very..." Uta replied as he took measurements on his head with. "You see the more I know of my client, the more likely I'm going to do a good job on their mask..." He explained, it was either superstition or him just being social.

"I see, sorry..."

"Don't be. Now what type of books do you like?" Uta asked as he examined his head.

"Well, mostly horror..." Kaneki replied.

"Oh, that opens up more options..." Uta said as he once again measured Kaneki's cranium. "Tell me, are there any girls you like?"

Kaneki blushed before answering. "Ahhhhh, n-no..."

"Really?" Uta asked, "Forgive me but might you be a homosexual" earning a quick "No!" From Kaneki. "I see... You don't get any attention from girls around your own age huh..?" Kaneki was silent. "What about Eto over there?" He asked. "You're both half-ghouls I mean..."

Kaneki simply stuttered out. "She's kind of... Wild."

Uta simply nodded and rolled up his tape. "Well I'll call you when it's done..." He told him... "Until then Take care."

Kaneki stopped, turned and looked at Uta, a single question in mind. "Mr. Uta?" He asked.

"Hmmm?"

"What sort of customers do you get in here?"

"Well..." he began, "mostly ghouls, but every now and then I get the occasional human to come in and request a mask or tattoe." He paused. "And then," Uta placed a finger onto the base of his neck. "I get racing feeling right here in the base of my neck..." He said, bending towards the smaller ghoul. "But, it's not hunger... It's happiness..."

* * *

**Later that night.**

Kaneki had put on a blue pajama suit which he'd taken with him when he and Eto stopped by his previous apartment and was about to go to bed in the guest room. His bed was significantly smaller than Eto's, but it was much, in his own opinion, more comfortable. He threw back the covers of the bed, revealing a soft, white mattress. The half ghoul, very unceremoniously, threw his body onto the bed before rolling himself up in a blanket and putting his mouth and nose underneath the covers.

For a moment all was silent as Kaneki relaxed underneath the weight of the covers. It was silent, though Eto was still up he it was silent. He didn't want to be rude, but in all honesty he'd imagined Eto to be a more noisy person to live with, but he guessed he'd been proven wrong.

Suddenly he heard the door of his room open and a light crawled up his room, on the bed frame, and then into him, forcing him to open his eyes. Eto was silhouetted by light currently, but he noticed that she'd carried a small rectangular object with her, he couldn't tell what.

"E-to?"he asked groggily as she moved towards him with light feet.

"Sorry, Ken... I realize you're trying to sleep, but I wanted to try to do something..." She whispered/hissed as she crawled into the bed, a tiny flashlight also in hand.

"And what might that be?" He asked turning over to face her slightly.

"I've always wanted to read someone to sleep." she said, opening the book and turning on her tiny light, being careful not to hit her roommates eyes. "Unless, of course, you mind."

Ken smiled warmly, whether the author knew it or not, she did(as he's stated so many times) have a certain ability to relax him. "No I don't mind..." he whispered back. "Just..." He blushed a little. "Can you... uhh, play with my hair?"

A silence fell between them, and Ken thought he'd created and awkward setting. He was just about to apologize when he felt a soft hand on his head, the sound of pages fluttering and the click of a light.

"Chapter 1..." Eto hissed lowly as she danced her fingers through Kaneki's hair.

* * *

**I'm so exhausted... Lower classmen had testing today and our classes decided to do nothing, so writing this and sleeping is what i got done... Please review! I'm... I'm gonna go take a nap...**


	4. Kamii

Kaneki was in a strange place... The only way it could be accurately described is by saying that it 'was neither here nor there', because that's all it was. The ground underneath Kaneki was white and reflective, not so reflective as a mirror, but rather it looked as if some silhouetted figure was walking in sequence with him. The sky was calming, yet alarming; it was blue, but had many clouds, it was bright, but said clouds cast somewhat of a dark shadow underneath themselves. The air around him was still, but held a feeling of weight upon itself...

"Mr. Kanekiiiiiii!" a voice called out, echoing slightly before disappearing once more. Kaneki froze, he **knew **that voice, it sent chills up his spine and made him freeze. He knew that voice, but he couldn't quite place it. He knew he should've been able to, but he couldn't. "Kanekiiii!", i called once more, this time louder, and closer, but still far enough away to be small.

Kaneki turned to look at the creator of such noise, they were female, he could confirm that much. She wore a frilly white dress with a purple undershirt, her hair was long and flowing slightly because of a sudden small breeze passing through the area, her eye's were closed gently, and hidden behind a pair of red glasses. Slowly, she opened her eye's revealing a pitch black, with a red center, giving Kaneki a look of pure hunger filled lust. "How has it been, Kaneki?"

* * *

Hide sat in the back of Asian history class, boredom overtaking hi as he tapped the eraser of his pin onto his cheek, his headphones blasting music only audible to him, despite them laying on his neck. Normally in any other class, despite his laid back personality he'd be furiously taking notes, not here though. For Hide Asian history was simple, he hardly needed to glance at his notes to pass any exam or whatnot that may be thrown towards him. To be honest it was a matter of common sense more often than not, besides on written answers. and even then it was still no problem.

Sighing, Hide dug into his pocket and produced a phone, luckily for him, their professor(Kaneki has the same class also) knew of Hide's talent for the subject and let him get away with goofing off... most times. Hide, using only the hand he pulled the phone out of, pulled up his recent texts page, scrolled and found Kaneki's name. Sighing, he pressed it and a series of recent messages appeared.

_**'Really missing you in Asian history...'**_

_**'I can stop by and give you some notes'**_

_**'You're gonna die alone.'**_

Hide had begun to think he'd been a little too harsh on Kaneki with that last message, but it seemed as if Kaneki had been avoiding him, and that pissed him off to no end. If there was one thing the dirty blond hated, it was being ignored. True, Kaneki had been in a horrible accident, but if the hospital had let him go he was fine enough to pick up his phone... or maybe it was something else...

* * *

Eto opened the door into Kaneki's room, carefully using her body to make sure the door didn't creak and wake him up from his sleep(Which ,honestly, was kind of pointless considering that if he wasn't Eto would jump on the bed till he woke up). She slowly opened the door and peaked her head inside, in a manner similar to one of her favorite american poems 'The Tell Tale Heart' by Edgar Allen Poe. The only difference was that she wasn't planning to kill Kaneki.

With her head through the door she whispered his name. "Kaneki?" she whispered, purposely low, to see if he was awake. Her answer came in the form of a neatly made, empty bed, which looked like a demo picture you would see at a mattress store. Eto frowned, slightly disappointed at the fact that she **couldn't **jump on the bed, well she **could**, but what was the fun in jumping on an empty bed with no one in it... or if you're alone?

Still, the half-ghoul was happy that he was already getting so used to his new nature that he'd wake up this early. Eto, looked over to the clock on the nightstand, _9:02..., _she repeated the clock, just as it changed to 9:03, _Actually, I can't believe **I'm **up this early..._ She thought as she made her way into the empty room. Eto stretched, throwing her back in an arc and connecting her hands, also throwing them. She actually had just woken up herself.

Kaneki wrapped his lower regions in a soft, warm, blue towel, as he stepped out of the shower, careful not to get water on anything but the frilled rug below him. Kaneki stopped above the towel, letting the water that had not been absorbed by the now dampening towel. The towel, which had once been warm, was now growing colder due to the warm water meeting cold air and chilling it, and in turn chilling him. He looked over to the doorway, looking for perhaps a switch for some kind of heater.

There were three switches, two of which most likely connected to the double set of lights which ran on two separate circuits, He figured the one of them had to be the heater. Luckily he had been correct, the heater(which he was surprised he hadn't noticed above him before) roared to life, the wires heating up to a bright orange, a deeper shade, then a bright red. It took a moment, but Kaneki was delighted when a wave a warm, relaxing heat washed over him, freeing him form the goose skin he had developed.

The feeling was a familiar one, he remembered feeling it(though subconsciously) the morning he had woken up with Eto's body covering his own, and once again the same day when she had crawled into bed beside him and read to him, whilst curling his hair with her soft fingers, and whispering in a way that made the invisible hair that covered him stand up stiffen in pleasure.

But, it was only these times in which he felt this feelings of happiness... actually, that was not quite true, he also felt this once long ago, when his mother was still alive and she would help him learn the kanji in the books his father left behind. The feeling he spoke of was a warm rolling in the center of his stomach, that slowly, carefully expanded to encompass his entire being. It was something more than happiness, a feeling that he rarely ever felt.

Kaneki poked his head into the hallway making sure his host(roommate rather) was not around to see his half naked body. To his relief, the green haired woman was no where in sight. Kaneki sighed, relieved at her absence. Quietly, one leg at a time, he stepped out of the bathroom, into the hallway which held the guest room in which he would spend the next year(At least according to Eto).

Kaneki made his way down the hall, noting how cold his body had become cold the moment he exited the restroom. He now, slowly shivered his way down the hallway, hunched over, towel now curled around his upper body, just barley hiding his more private areas from the cold, or prying eyes... _The latter of which should be something reserved for women_, Kaneki thought, as he tried shrinking his body to make way for the towel to cover more of him.

Kaneki opened the door to his guest room, sticking his head into the empty, clean room. Yes, he had made sure it was clean, after all it wasn't **his** home, he was obligated to clean up after himself. He'd made the bed neatly (Or so he thought, it seemed still a little messy), He had picked up his clothing from the floor, which he had carelessly discarded the night before. He was actually quite surprised that Eto hadn't come in to wake him up, but, he'd supposed, considering her nature, that she was one to sleep in.

The artificial hybrid walked over to the nightstand that was positioned next to his bed and picked up his phone, which laid screen-down on the hard wood shelf. Kaneki rarely got any calls, texts, or e-mails(none besides offers and website subscriptions), so he didn't know what compelled him to look at the gadget... no, actually, he did know why... That text message from Hide, that he'd received a few day's ago. **_'You're gonna die alone.'_**... When he'd first received it he felt a pain in his body... Kaneki wasn't mad at Hide, he knew that he'd been a lousy friend for ignoring his text's... but(now more than ever) he didn't want to go back to university. What if he couldn't control his hunger? What if he attacked someone? What if he attacked **Hide**? Kaneki shuddered at the thought, he didn't want that, no, especially not that.

Setting the phone down, Kaneki she his towel and walked to the closet that housed the clothes that he brought with him from his previous residence. He didn't really pack much, bu to be honest he didn't have that much to pack, all in all he packed around 10 pieces of clothing which meant he'd be doing laundry often. The half-ghoul picked out a white t-shirt, a blue hoodie, and black regular fit pant's. He often wore this combination, but he felt it looked best on him... it was simple and it described him perfectly, he felt. Well... he wasn't so simple now... as far as he knew Eto and he where the only two of their kind, half-ghouls. Sighing, Kaneki exited the closet and went to sat on the, what he thought originally, neatly made bed.

Kaneki stretched his arms, and decided(as long as Eto was still sleeping) that he would take a short nap. Suddenly a pair of arms wrapped around the boy's waist from underneath the covers and pulled him on his back, holding him down against their owners. "It's time to wake up, Kaneki!" a female voice told him, happily. Kaneki was still practically shaking from the scare and almost pissed himself, he was now being held against Eto, who had rested her chin upon his head, softly, letting out a warm closed mouth sigh.

"E-eto? he asked, still shaking from the sudden surprise. He could see his hands twitching violently, he could feel his chest rising and falling rapidly, due to the fast intake of oxygen that he'd just preformed.

"You guessed it..." she replied happily.

"D-do you need something?" He asked another question, the fear still in his voice.

"We need to talk, Kaneki..." She replied in kind, pausing to moved her hands to the top of his head. During her time with the younger boy she'd begun to notice that he enjoyed having the truffle of hair on his head played with, and Eto( who enjoyed the feeling of soft things) was more than happy to do it whenever she found appropriate, hell whenever she wanted to really, she'd doubt he'd mind. _Or_ maybe, she mused, _It wasn't the teasing of his follicles at all... Perhaps it was the touch of the opposite sex that he enjoyed so much? I mean, as adorable as he is(in his awkward, scared puppy ways) he isn't really a 'catch' as some call it._

"Why did you make the bed this mourning?" she asked, putting her mouth closer to his ear, eyes half open and a smile adorning her face.

"Well," he began, fear had left his body and now permitted him to speak normally once more, "I assumed since you were so nice to let me live under your roof, I could help clean up your house whenever I make a mess..." He explained, waiting for a response.

Eto simply sighed and re-positioned her shin at the top of Kaneki's head, "Kaneki... why do you always speak like you're beneath others?" Eto asked, a tinge of sadness in her voice. Kaneki was confused, the only people who ever thought of him as more than a face in the crowd were Hide and his mother, because of this, he'd lacked confidence, and eventually decided he was some second-class citizen.

He could have told Eto all of this, but he simply responded with: "I-I don't know..." It wasn't what he wanted to say, but all that he would allow himself to say.

"You don't know..." Eto repeated softly, starring at the ceiling fan above them, still gently playing with Kaneki's pitch black locks, rolling them on her fingers. She smiled and spoke up, "You wan't to know what I think Kaneki?" she asked, lightly.

"S-sure?"

"I think," she said, beginning her hypothesis, "That you have never truly been acknowledged before, therefore you assume yourself lower than everyone else, which simply speaking is **not** true." She paused. "I wan't you to listen to me now... You may be here for only a year, but don't ever think that this is just **my **home, It's yours as well... as long as you're here it will be..." She now whispered, her gaze still lingering on the twisting fan. "This room is **not **a guest room, it's **your **room... You don't have to make the bed... you should see my room..." she chuckled during her sentence, "You can barely move in there..."

They remained silent for a few moments staying in that position, both starring at the ceiling fan, as if it were a pocket watch wielded by a magician who was attempting to hypnotize them. Eto, massaging his scalp softly now and slightly humming to the quiet. Kaneki found himself nearly drifting off to sleep under her embrace, everything about her was soft, he thought. _Her voice, her eyes, her skin... her brea-_, Kaneki, realized what he was about to say. It wasn't like he'd felt her up or anything, but rather he could feel them pressing against his head, causing a light blush to form upon his face.

"Eto, I- should really get up, If i fall asleep again I'll sleep all day..." Kaneki told the green haired Author in an attempt to get up(despite the fact that nothing was restraining him).

"Hmmmm..." Eto pretended to think about it, still playing with his hair. "No."

"But-"

"Kaneki, you have to learn to enjoy life once in a while, and I don't know a single sole in the world who **doesn't **enjoy sleeping."

The boy was about to argue, but he decided that while it was a rather inappropriate position his head was in, Eto was right, he **did **enjoy sleeping, and as he decided that, he felt his eye's get heavy, his body loosen, and finally(thanks to Eto's new found tendency to play with his hair) fell victim to the experience known as sleep...

* * *

_**Bzzzz...Bzzzz...Bzzzz...**_ The sound echoed in Kaneki's head, not painfully, or annoyingly, but more like a far away cry for him, one that he was trying his best to ignore. Somewhere in the time between when Kaneki had lost consciousness and now; Eto had wrapped her arms around him and now held him tightly and securely, but at the same time comfortably. It was a grasp in which he had absolutely no interest in escaping at the current time.

But, as he felt one arm move away from him, almost reluctantly, then the move back over him, elbow lightly digging into his chest using it as a support, his eye's fluttered open, revealing grey irises that looked up in confusion. Said eye's were met with an aggressive bright light which forced the to squint. "Eto?" he called, his voice gruff from a deep sleep, which made it sound almost alien to him. "What is that?"

A moment of silence greeted him before he got his reply in the form of a tired female voice. "Your cellphone..."

Kaneki nodded and fell back to sleep on Eto and was about to let himself drift to sleep once more when her words full registered. "What!?" he squeaked as he shot up abruptly and tried for his phone. To which Eto simply raised her arm higher and let Kaneki fall over face first in the pillow next to her head, landing softly. She then pressed her hand on the top of his head, keeping him stationary while she examined the phone.

"Eto..." Kaneki said, muffled by the pillow, defeated, "Please return my phone to me... I would enjoy some privacy..."

"I'm just reading a text..." she yawned in reply, shortly after smacking her lips together, "besides I think, for your sake I should be the one to read this first..."

"Why's that?" Kaneki asked, still muffled by the pillow.

"Because I don't think you would've even acknowledged it..."

Kaneki somehow managed to get his head turned to look at the side of her's her face illuminated in the dark by the light of his phone. _It's dark already? __No... I slept late. _Kaneki's face as a pout as he asked her a question. "What?"

"Your friend, Hide, says he misses you at university. Asian history in particular... Why don't you go back to school soon?"

Kaneki looked away, turning hie head to the other side of the bed, "I can't..." he said, subconsciously lowly, almost as if to hide his weakness.

"Why?"

"Because I'm afraid..."

"... Of eating him..."

"Of eating everyone..." He replied(almost shot) back.

"Fine, I won't make you, but you're really only hurting yourself by not going..."

A moment of silence befell them, Eto couldn't tell whether Kaneki was mad or if he fell asleep, but she decided to break it. "The way your positioned on my arm is making it go numb." A completely unrelated statement, but she felt it needed to be said.

The boy then climbed back on top of her muttering a "sorry" as he re-placed himself the way he was, and in turn, she replaced her arms over his torso.

They were silent once more, trying to get back to sleep which was much easier for Eto than Kaneki; who now felt a strong weight of guilt upon his chest. He let it sit there, and fester before finally submitting. "Actually, Eto..." he spoke up.

"Hmm?"she replied back

"I think... I'll go back tommorow..." He said, still slightly unsure of the decision.

Eto moved her hand's up to Kaneki's hair once more and began to run the through it, smiling, her eye's closed. "Yeah... I think that's best..."

* * *

Kaneki felt the ground underneath him shift, it wasn't an earthquake nor a tremor but something organic, **a body**, trying to slide out from beneath him. Kaneki found himself not wanting that to happen for some reason, whoever this was they were soft and warm, even beneath the blanket that separated them. Kaneki would have tried to grab them, and hold them, to keep the contact between them there, but he was far to tired to preform the action, instead he let out a small whimper that sounded more like a crying dog.

"Alright, Kaneki, get up you're going to university in a bit." a voice said, as the body underneath him slid out from underneath him. Kaneki recognized the voice, it was Eto. _That's __right_, he thought, _I agreed to go to school today... If only to meet Hide and apologize for my absence._ Kaneki opened his eyes to reveal the ceiling staring back at him, he then turned his head to the door, just in time to see Eto walk out.

Kaneki laid there for a few moments staring at the ceiling and wondering what exactly he was doing. _I can't go back to Kamii... I'm already hungry enough, what happens when I can't take the hunger anymore?_ He felt his stomach squeeze in anger at his lack of eating and Kaneki placed a hand on it, _And I'm so hungry as it is..._

"Kaneki, come here, I have a surprise for you!" she called to him, her voice distant and happy. Kaneki sighed, not to excited about having to get up from the bed(or go to Kamii) but he did, and he followed the sound of Eto's voice.

Said voice led the hybrid to the kitchen, in which Eto now stood holding a black cylinder. She had a happy, excited smile on her face and anticipation in her eyes. Kaneki kept his eye's on the black cylinder as she shook it, he could hear the sounds of many tiny objects inside. Kaneki watched in confusion as Eto began to somewhat dance towards him, shaking her shoulders as she repeated her words in the form of a song. "I h-a-v-e a s-u-r-p-r-i-s-e for y-o-u!"

It was only just now that Kaneki got a good look at what Eto had been wearing when she'd pulled him into bed and they fell asleep. The half-ghoul wore a tan pajama suit instead of her white gown. Her top was hardly a top at all, it's not that it was very tight, nor that it was small, it was actually quite baggy, it was actually more so that the only place she bothered to button was the chest area, revealing her soft stomach. Kaneki noted that her skin looked incredibly smooth, in fact he felt a strange urge to touch it(as much as that made him feel like a serial killer), in fact he had been having a lot of strange feelings towards Eto recently, it made him feel uncomfortable, but at the same time it felt good.

His admiration towards her was interrupted as she shook the black cylinder right in front of his face. "Still asleep, huh?" she teased before pulling it back. Eto popped the top off the black cylinder and motioned for him to come closer. "Come here, take a look at this..." she ordered, her smile turning into a grin.

Kaneki peaked into the cylinder, almost nervous about what could be inside, fingers, eyeballs, something round that could be a bit more private? But no, to his further confusion he found many tiny brown cubes inside of it. He didn't know what to make of it, he couldn't see why this was a cause for excitement.

"Ahhhh, Sugar cubes?" he asked, confusion evident in his voice.

"These sugar cubes are special..." she said picking one up out of the container and examining it, "They will help you curb your hunger through out the day..." Eto plopped one into her mouth chewed and swallowed. "Here, try it." she ordered extending her palm with another sugar cube.

Reluctantly Kaneki took the sugar cube, uncertain of whether or not he should eat it, if his stomach had told him anything in the last few weeks, it was that it did not like the food of humans anymore. Still, Kaneki ate it and much to his surprise it tasted delicious, his eyes widened, his mouth exploded, and his stomach grew happier with him.

"Good, right?" The author asked sure it would be, after all everything that ghouls **can **taste good to them. "My father makes them, just in case a ghoul has trouble finding food..." She explained, before pausing. "But the wont keel your hunger forever, eventually you'll need to eat a human..." her voice turned suddenly dark.

Kaneki shuddered at the thought of eating a human, the thought of eating feet, hands, arms, eyes and **liking **it... it was enough to make him gag. Kaneki then realized something, he can only eat **humans **so what exactly was in theses sugar cubes? Kaneki decided it best not to think about that... for now they let him eat without killing so he was thankful.

"Now today, you'll show me around the university, because I-"

Kaneki interrupted her, surprised with a swift "What?"

"Oh sorry, I haven't gone over this with you yet..." She trailed off, sitting down. "You see I want to visit this Kamii school of yours..." she explained, bringing a single hand softly to her chin and staring off into space. To Kaneki, it seemed as if she was fantasizing about something, the way she looked over to the wall was one of intrigue. Kaneki deducted that there was something about school, something that she envied... she was a half-ghoul after all... The manager, her father, more than likely did not let her attend any institution of learning.

"T-that's fine..." Kaneki said a little reluctantly. He watched her face light up in elation and look at him, her smile widening, "Really, I thought I was just being hopeful..." She paused, "I've always wanted to go to a school, even for just a day... I was denied an education because when I was younger I couldn't quite control my hunger... I ate alot... so it was my fault I couldn't go to school..." she began to look into nothing once more... "So, in an act of rebellion I caused trouble... Even though only I bore the blame..."

Kaneki frowned, He knew what she meant by 'caused trouble', Eto used to be a murderer. Kaneki, since he'd realized what he'd become, had taken t not calling any ghoul related deaths murders, as they only wanted food, but the way Eto described it... made it seem like she killed for fun... and regretted it.

Desperate to change the subject, Kaneki cleared his throat and spoke up, "But you'll have to make yourself look the part..." he began, getting the green haired girls attention.

"Oh?" she replied, "How so?"

"Well... make yourself look like a college student... In other words a nervous wreck." He laughed at his own joke, earning a smile from Eto.

"I think I can do that..." She replied, smirking.

* * *

Now the two walked together in the courtyard of Kamii, Eto actually pulled off the college girl look fairly well. She tied her hair back into a ponytail, a single curl fallng in dront of her face, her big red glasses, shielding her eyes from it and slightly reflecting light off the lenses. She was dressed in a stripped, form fitting shirt, that wrinkled in places, ending just before her waist, tan, slim, Cargo pant's which stopped at the ankles, and normal flat footed shoes... in fact she more than passed for a college student.

"It's so big..." She gawked twirling around to see the many building surrounding her.

"Yeah, I suppose so... I mean it **is **called a mega university so..." he explained, simply, also looking around. "Each building is different... some house dorms, other are used for certain subjects." He paused to look around for a certain building, finding it fairly easily, and pointing to the structure. "Like that one is for science and tha-" Kaneki was attacked from behind by a heavy object, which caused him to lurch forward.

"KANEKIIIIII!" It called into his ear, using a familiar energetic voice, then picked him up off his feet and twirled him around once, twice, three times, before setting him down and letting him spin like a top. Kaneki saw the world turn into a fish eye view as he spun, trying to get his barrings, a single thought ran through his head: _Hide._

The blond boy laughed as he watched his friend spin around like a confused kitten and then laced his fingers behind his head. "Welcome back, Kaneki!" he exclaimed smiling brightly. Kaneki stopped himself and steadied his head.

"Hello, Hide..." he managed out, weakly, still shaken from the sudden spinning.

"So, you've finally come back to school, huh? Or did you just miss me?"

Kaneki merely laughed and looked back at Hide, "Well I've been feeling much better lately... so I decided to see how I'd fare at school..."

Hide was about to say something in turn before an unfamiliar pair of hands cupped his face. His head was jerked to the left to see a pair of big green eyes, with matching hair, and a mouth in the shape of an **O**. "So **you're **Hide... I remember you..." She said, tilting her head slightly.

Just like with that Uta-fellow, Kaneki felt a small tinge of jealousy inside as he saw Eto cup Hide's face and pull hers close to his. Again he didn't know why, Eto was not property, she was a person, she was not **his**... not Hide's either... Thankfully(for Kaneki) Eto let go of the dirty blond's face and rested her arms at her sides. "Actually, I remember you, you were with Ken here at the shop, the day of the accident."

Hide, still confused by the strange woman, nodded. "Yeah... I was..."

"You know I find it interesting..." she said walking back to Kaneki.

"What's interesting?" Hide asked, still confused.

"How opposites attract... You who have a bulling personality and Ken here is quite the introvert... yet you have become best friends...", she paused, "It's just interesting..."

"Ahhh, ok..." Hide said, slightly off put by the strange green haired girl. "Hey, Kaneki, want to come with me to get some class material?" Hide changed the subject from her, throwing his thumb over his shoulder. The person he was planning to see was some smug-shit upper class man who thought of himself so high that he felt like a god, He pissed Hide off, but he alway's had things that were important for class, so Hide put up with him.

"S-sure." Kaneki responded before turning to Eto, who had now focused her attention on a large building with a board above the entrance with the word 'library' above it. "Eto... do you want to come?" Kaneki asked, subconsciously knowing that she'd rather spend her time at the library being the author she was... as expected, the half- ghoul declined.

"No, no... go ahead without me... I'll meet up with you later," she began walking towards said library, "Or maybe back home..." Kaneki and Hide watched in silence as she made her way to the library, torso leaning slightly forward as if her legs weren't carrying her fast enough. Once she was inside the library and out of sight, Hide plopped a hand on Kaneki's shoulder, "'Back **home**'", huh?" he teased, "You know I wen't by your apartment once or twice to see if you were there, so that's where you've been, huh?"

"H-Hide, n-no! I-"

"Hey, she's nothing to be embarrassed about, buddy..." he paused, "no, definitely not..."

"Hide, it's not like that!" Kaneki called as the two began walking, Kaneki following the dirty blonde to an unknown destination, set by Hide.

"Oh, then what **is **it like?"

"I-I don't know... but not **that**!"

* * *

Moments later, the pair arrived at the door of an upper class man that Hide described simply as 'a prick', Kaneki was not to excited to meet this person... He did notice, however, a smell... a musty smell, a smell that lingered deep in his throat which felt like a thick cover being laid almost denying his lungs air, it wasn't particularly gross, but it wasn't pleasant either... "Hide, do you smell that?" Kaneki inquired.

"Smell what?" Hide asked, raising an eyebrow, Kaneki deduced from this that he might possibly be smelling this due to an enhanced sense of smell caused from Rize's organs. He cringed, he was losing his humanity more and more everyday.

"Nevermind, It's gone now..." Kaneki lied, the smell was only growing more and more aggressive as it forced it's way into his airway and latched itself in. He'd never smelt anything like this... He figured it wasn't a dead body since it didn't make him hungry, whatever it was though, A small part of Kaneki **wanted **it.

Hide then rudely opened the door without warning, and without consideration, something he should have used... Kaneki first heard the light shriek of a female ring out, then the ruffling of clothes, and finally felt her push past him and run out into the hallway... Kaneki then knew what that smell was, as it left as she did, Kaneki was smelling **sex**. he wasn't so much disgusted by that than by the fact that he **wanted** it... and the first thing, or person rather , his mind turned to was Eto.

"Hey, Nagachika haven't you heard of knocking?" a voice pulled Kaneki out of his thoughts, and caused him to look at the source of said voice. What he saw was a boy who was barely older than him(around 22 if Kaneki had to guess), he also had short curled hair and glasses similar to Rize's in the way they were shaped. But the way he spoke, the way he looked at Hide... Hide was right, Kaneki could already tell, He was a prick.

"Sorry, Nishiki, I just needed some material for class." Hide, replied, he wasn't actually sorry, but he needed that material.

"Yeah..." Nishiki looked over at Kaneki and his mouth dropped, "Who's this?"

Hide, looked over to Kaneki, curious, "Oh him? That's just Kaneki, he wanted to tag along, he won't be a problem..." Kaneki gave a nervous smile and wave to ease the obvious tension.

"Uh-huh..." Nishiki replied before turning back to hide, "So what material did you need again? Last years?"

Hide nodded.

"I think that's at my place, not to far from here, why don't we go get it?" Nishiki suggested, Kaneki noticing a slightly suspicious smile on his lips.

"Ah, sure... can Kaneki come too?" Hide asked, not wanting to leave Kaneki. Nishiki looked over to the smaller boy and studied him up and down, his gaze was peircing and Kaneki even noticed his nose slightly twitch before he smiled. "Sure..."

* * *

The trio now walked under a low bridged, on the way to Nishiki's home, Which(Kaneki had noticed) was rather far away, considering he lived there and not on campus, but he shrugged it off, _M__aybe he has a bike, it's practically the only way to stay_ _in shape in college, unless your part of a sport, but there are other reasons to stay fit rather than sports... like what this Nishiki guy was just doing... _Kaneki shook the memory out of his head and looked onward... just in time to see Nishiki kick Hide, with great force, down into an alleyway.

Kaneki froze, he nearly forgot to breath, and the only thing he could do was scream the name "HIDE!" before Nishiki had pinned him against a concrete pillar.

"What's the matter, Where **you **gonna eat em?" he mocked, "Well asshole, he's in my territory so **piss off**!" the older **ghoul **yelled as he punched Kaneki in the stomach hard, knocking the air from his lungs, then grabbing him by the neck and throwing him into the alleyway, making him land right next to Hide.

Kaneki pushed himself up, with weak arms, one eye, his right one, closed due to blood leaking over it from a cut on his forehead. "But, there's something I want to know... **Kaneki**..." Nishiki said as he appeared, silhouetted from the light behind his back and a blue appendage coming from his tailbone area. "Why is it that you smell like that **whore **Rize..?" he paused, "Have you been fucking her?... no you still smell like a virgin..."

Kaneki, in an attempt to defend hide, removed his messenger bag and tried swinging it at Nishiki, who merely smacked it out of his hands. "Using your bag?", he mocked, "What are you, a woman?" He asked as he kicked Kaneki once in the chin probably breaking his jaw, and tossing him to the side. "Now if you'll excuse me... I've grown quite famished..."

Kaneki once again found himself on the ground... The cut above his eye was now gaping open and spilling down his cheek onto the ground. "Why?" he asked shakily, "Why do you want to eat Hide? I thought he was your friend..."

"My friend? No, he's only that to you, Kaneki. Other ghouls medley **eat **humans, I **hate **them." He paused, to place a boot onto hide's unconscious form, more specifically his head and curl that blue appendage down his leg just grazing Hide's face. "But, Nagachika just plain annoys me... always asking me for shit... he's a nuisance..." He paused "Which is why I'm going to make you watch me kill him... so you can see just how much of nuisance he can be! The annoying high pitch of his voice as I peel his skin..."

"No..."

"His **Pathetic **crying face as I impale him repeatedly..."

"NO..."

"And his organs spill out as I split him open..."

Kaneki felt a bubbling in his lower back accompanied by a crackling sound and the sound of his coat tearing. It was hot, almost unbearably so, causing him to sweat beads and groan in pain, his mind was filled with him and Hide enjoying life together, when they first met, when they went to college, and when they went to the coffee shop... there were more, but those stood out the most. Finally the feeling exploded, leaving his body and branching out into four tentacles, each as big as Nishiki's own. "I don't want to see that..."

Kaneki then lifted him self up unstably and looked at Nishiki, left eye black and red with hate, "I don't want hide to die!" he said quickly before rushing the older ghoul.

Kaneki felt the new appendages bend almost like boneless arms, they weren't heavy, but light... and angled at the other ghoul. Said other ghoul then brought the blue tail up and threw it towards his attacker, who simply latched onto it.

"Little **fuck**!" he yelled out. "Let go!" Nishiki pulled Kaneki closer to him, to beat him with his fist, but Kaneki quickly adapted to the attack and used his red tentacles to pierce Nishiki through, causing him to let out an animal-like howl of pain. Kaneki, not satisfied with just that, began thrusting more appendages through his stomach, smacking him into the air and quickening the pace of the impaling, until finally Nishiki's head got stuck between a metal rod and a concrete walkway, blood sloshing down from his gut.

Kaneki calmed down, his once rapid breathing, turning into a steadier rhythm. He then looked over to Hide, to see his body surrounded by blood... delicious blood. Kanek felt himself grow hungrier, the sugar cubes wearing off... also being forgotten... he looked at Hide and his mouth began to water. _I'm so... hungry... _he thought as his drenched mouth began to smile... _It's only natural right? Ghoul eats man, man dies... that's how it works, right?_

He felt a pair of soft arms wrap seductively around his neck and a head of purple hair appear to his left. "Yes, Kaneki, that's right... that's **exactly **right..." she said as her hands traversed Kaneki's body grabbing him all over. "You're so hungry aren't you, huh? Go head, **eat**, he won't feel a thing..."

"Yeeessss... I'm so hungry..."

"So the manager was right... You did become a ghoul..." A feminine voice said, as a small girl, about his size, with dark blue hair appeared before him. The waitress. She now dawned a school girl uniform but he recognized her.

_She's a ghoul too... She want's to steal him from me! _Kaneki told himself as he growled at her.

"I see you've starved yourself beyond reasoning..." she said, "Jeez you're gonna be a pain to work with..." Touka began loosening the tie on her school uniform, letting herself breath as he Ukaku ripped out of her back. "Fine, I'll help you this once..."

* * *

**Ok, this has to be the longest chapter I've written for anything ever... I really don't know what else to say but uh... Please, Review!**


	5. Anteiku

_**We never get to have fun... Do we, Mr. Kaneki?...**_

* * *

His lower back was throbbing, it was an intense pounding that made it feel like his back was going to explode. He knew why, it was because of that Nishiki guy who threatened to kill Hide. Kaneki didn't know what had forced it out at the time, it just happened, the only reason he could think of for that was that he wanted to protect Hide, but it couldn't have been that... to be honest it seemed like some cliche' manga scene in which the hero gets some kind of power up...

Kaneki groaned as the throbbing intensified on to the center of his lower back, making it feel like an animal was to burst out of there. _Dammit... Does it alway's hurt for ghuls this much? _Kaneki, however was to tired to react physically, hell he could barely open a single eye, so he laid there, hoping the pain would pass... or he'd get used to it and become numb to it.

Kaneki opened his eye's expecting to see his guest- no his **room**, with the light just breaking through, he also was expecting(hoping) to be told that Hide was fine, and that he'd been sent home, and that he didn't know of Kaneki's new biology. He opened only his right eye, as the other was refusing to open because of a fear of being touched by the pillow that lifted his head. Before him he saw a figure turned away from him, a blanket over his still clothed body sand his dirty blond hair ruffled by the pillow(most likely from tossing and turning). Kaneki knew who it was, who else could it be?

_Hide..._

The name rang in the hybrids ears like a ringing you get from having to much silence or to much noise. A fear enveloped him, was Hide dead, dying, in a coma, or just sleeping? It may have been just a kick, but that kick made the dirty blond fly like a bullet. Kaneki's face betrayed his emotions, which were conflicted... Part of Kaneki was feeling relieved in seeing Hide before him, but another part feared the worst had happened. Did Hide die from his wounds, his loss of blood, or... Did Kaneki kill him?

A shattered memory surfaced inside Kaneki's head, replaying itself for him. He saw Nishiki's limp body hanging from the walkway above them, swaying slightly from the neck down. He remembered an unbearable hunger, one that momentarily robbed him of all reasoning. Sugar cubes forgotten... he turned to Hide. The memory of saliva sliding down his chin made him feel a similar sensation now, as if to tease him about his weakness. Kaneki wanted to stop there, but his mind made him remember...

He was about to sink his teeth into Hide, to tear him limb from limb in a bloody frenzy, to devour him and savor his taste, and he would've done so... had a certain waitress not interfered. That was were the memory stopped, filling Kaneki with relief, obviously he'd been stopped in his attempt to satiate his hunger with hid best friends unconscious form, but that still didn't answer his main concern at this point... What was Hide's condition?

A creak was heard and a yellow light crawled against the room's wall, illuminating the shelves, most of which housed antique cups, mostly for display, behind glass. Kaneki watched the light with the single eye open as it crept closer and closer towards him, sending a signal of paranoia into his brain, it was almost as if it was going to suddenly lurch after him, like a cobra ready to strike it's prey.

Kaneki remained quiet, as to not alert the intruder to his presence, he didn't have a reason to be scared, he knew(unless Anteiku was a secret criminal Ghoul organization) that he was in the presence of allies. Even if it wasn't someone he'd recognized it he knew where he was; he was in the coffee shop, the smell was proof enough of that. He figured his sudden sense of paranoia was nothing more than primal instinct and nothing else.

Kaneki let out a soft moan, embodying his sleepiness... and worry. "Hello?" He waited a moment, waiting for his greeting to be acknowledged... there was no answer, Instead he heard the light tapping of footsteps grow increasingly closer as the intruder(ally rather) came closer to him. _Any normal person would have responded by now..._, Kaneki thought, reawakening his paranoia. The footsteps gradually changed into the creaking of the mattress he had been lain on and the momentary craters caused by limbs crawling upon it. Kaneki began to sweat, expecting a swift bite to his neck at any moment, _What was it Eto said, Half-ghouls taste good because they have the blood of humans? _

Though, the bight never came... Instead what greeted him was the familiar feeling of soft comforting digits dancing through his black hair, sending shivers through his body and relaxing him completely(as much as he could be with his best friend lying before him, possibly dead). He felt the warmth of a body move closer to his ear and whisper, with a teasing tone, "Finally up, are we?"

The sound of Eto's voice was sweet music to his ears. It made him feel safe, indestructible, almost as if the world could no longer hurt him, but, he had different things to focus on right now. In a now deeper, more heavy voice he spoke, not even bothering to turn his head, "I-is Hide..." he struggled to find a word that would make the situation less grim, "OK?"

Eto smiled as she looked down at Kaneki, even after being insulted and told to die by this Hide fellow, he still cared about the guy. Yes, Eto had read the more recent messages that night when she took a peek a Kaneki's phone to investigate the vibration, and yes, her reason to get him to Kamii was to have them mend their little spat(Or Hide's little spat), but she never imagined it would happen like this... "Yes... He's fine," Eto smiled when she heard his sigh of relief, and felt him relax under her, "and you seem to be fine as well...", Eto rolled of the bed and onto her feet, landing lightly as she gripped the covers, giving them a slight tug.

"C'mon, it's time for a certain Ken Kaneki to get out of bed, you're just being lazy." She teased, happily, still keeping her voice low.

Kaneki shyly dug his head back into the pillow, a childish tactic to subconsciously shut out the world and retreat into a state of bliss. Kaneki had already been feeling bliss though, when Eto told him that Hide was fine, his heart soared and he felt invincible once more. Another tug of the covers pulled him back into reality, causing him grumble as he turned his head.

"You can sleep on the ride back, now get up, I've been here all night waiting for you to wake up, so don't make me wait any longer... or I'll carry you..." she threatened, hoping to worry that male ego. Though her words had been ignored past the part of 'all night', _Eto has been here all night... waiting for **me**? _Kaneki looked over his shoulder(a surprisingly hard thing to do in his prone state), and looked at her, a sort of... adoration... in his gray eye. He smiled at the thought, just by how kind it was. He never thought Eto to be **mean**, by any... well... means, but he thought she was a tad bit to playful(as much as he enjoyed it).

His adoration was interrupted, however, when she scooped him in her thin arms, like a newlywed husband would lift his wife. Legs hanging, arms wrapped around her neck and holding on, was his position. "I told you..." she teased him, grinning. Had he really spent that much time admiring her?... Or was she just impatient..?

Eto smiled as Kaneki began to thrash lightly in her arms, telling her it was now appropriate to put him down. Eto had no intention of doing do, however. The Author was a woman of her word, and she was going to embargoes him for being so lazy. She began walking out of the room, silently as not to disturb the blond who was still sleeping in the other bed, Kaneki in her arms, still lightly thrashing against her. He could do so all he wants but she was still going to carry him out.

Exiting the room, remaining silent still, Eto tiptoed out into an open hallway, where she found her father waiting on her, hands behind his back and back straight in a formal way, his face in a look of confusion, and slight comedic disappointment. Eto froze, she could remember when she was a child, she would always bring home something when she left to play... Never body parts but rather Animals, it was a primitive subconscious thing... Eto had always been fascinated by cats, dogs, and many other house hold pets. She wondered how an animal with such low intelligence could feel love like a human or a ghoul or... a half-ghoul...

Eto smiled sheepishly(something she also did when she was young) and looked up at her father with bright eye's, trying to ease his confusion, her father may have been strange enough to fall in love with a human, his only source of nutrients, but Eto was always a strange girl in his eye's.

The older ghoul let out a sigh, smiling though, and lowered his hand slightly. "Put him down Eto..." He said with a bit of parental exhaustion in his deep voice. Eto frowned slight, a small part of her didn't want to let Kaneki go, she didn't quite know why, which was weird because she was normally familiar with feeling she got... but this one was different, Whatever it was... she liked it.

Now sighing herself, she lowered Kaneki's feet to the ground, allowing him to stand, but he failed in doing so, forcing Eto to absent-mindedly catch him by his shirt collar and prevent him from crashing, still looking at her father. "Right, sorry..." She said, hiding the slight disappointment in her voice. Her father merely nodded, still smiling at her, not even looking at the boy who had straightened himself up, allowing Eto to let go of his shirt.

"Tell me, Eto, have you talked to him about false-eating?" Yoshimura asked, positioning his hand with the other at his lower back, pressing it against his vest.

Eto felt a cold sweat form on her forehead, and a sudden rush of embarrassment. _Oh, damn! _she inwardly scolded herself for forgetting one of the most crucial parts of life as a ghoul. Placing her right hand on the back of her green fluff of hair she gave yet another sheepish grin, "Ahhhh, we were getting around to it..." She said, her voice growing increasingly lower under her father's knowing gaze.

Moments of silence past, it was Yoshimura's way of telling Eto, that she'd been caught, caught neglecting her responsibility to help Kaneki learn how to survive in the world of ghouls. The silence was almost unbearable, as the length determined how long the lecture would be, had her father been in polite company. To be honest, though, this was far more effective than an actual, verbal, lecture, as it forced her to imagine what her father **would **be saying, making her realize **herself**, knew she'd done wrong. But regardless of how much it made her feel small, she was thankful, because without these little lectures, she'd probably still be that rebellious brat she used to be.

"Then I suggest you get back to that..." He said, with a happy sigh, moving his eye's to Kaneki, who was starring at the father-daughter interaction with curiosity. "Ken," he said gaining the half breed's attention, "I look for ward to working with you..." He smiled happily and walked past the two, continuing about his business.

Kaneki felt like he'd witnessed a historic moment, he had no idea why, but the way these two interacted was... interesting to watch, partly because during his time eith the lime haired girl he'd never seen her so submissive, to anyone, even if it was just slightly, like it was with the manager. Not Uta, not Hide(Though he wasn't particularly hard to feel comfortable around), and not the waitress, though it seemed said waitress looked up to Eto, in a sort of sister-like relationship.

He felt a tug on his writst and found himself being pulled by Eto, her impatient side showing once more. "C'mon Kaneki, let's go." she said, slightly amused with his little space out.

Eto noticed that the younger of the two had a tendency to space out at times, giving him an adorable toddler look, in fact sometimes she'd just let him do it, just to see that face, with his lips slightly parted and his eye's big, it warmed her with happiness, but at the same time made her sad. How could the world be so cruel to someone so innocent? The loss of his mother, his father, and nearly his best friend. It made her feel a strange need to protect him from the world, but he was nearly an adult, at the age of 18(_**Authors Note: In Japan the legal age of adult hood is 20 years**_), and he needed to be exposed to what the rest of his life would be... as a half-ghoul.

Kaneki let out a small squeal of surprise as Eto pulled him down the hallway, her un-submissive personality returning to full. He looked over to the right side of the hallway, into an open room, which housed a small girl, whom he recognized as the waitress. She had bandages wrapped around her neck and cheek, a bit of red bleeding through each of them. Kaneki had to wonder: Did he do that? If she noticed him, she didn't show it, as she was to preoccupied with a winged insect, that landed gently on the tip of her index finger.

* * *

Touka looked ahead to her open doorway, catching a glimpse of Eto and that new hu-_Ghoul_, she corrected herself, passing by quite quickly. The sight of the black haired boy brought back memory's of their fight. Touka traced her neck, in particular the area where he tore a small chunk of flesh out of it, filching at the sting of disapproval it gave her, causing her to hiss. She didn't blame him for the injuries though, it was her fault for being cocky... cocky like **him**. Still, she didn't expect him to be so strong, it was like fighting an angry wolf. _If, of course, there was a wolf that could brake a ghouls skin..._, she added, once again touching the bandaged wound, this time ignoring the pain.

Yoshimura knocked on the open door, alerting the purple haired waitress to his presence and breaking her out of her thoughts. He held a smile on his wrinkled face and a tan wrapped package of meat in the other. "How are your feeling, Touka?" He asked as he made his way to her, extending the package out for her to grab. She needed to eat a little bit more everyday now until she healed, the way Renji had described it, she was going to be like this for a little while.

Touka smiled politely as she grasped the food and set it on her lap. "Thank you..."

The waitress was in the process of unwrapping the nutrients, when she spoke up, interrupting her own meal. "Mr. Yoshimura..?" she asked, noticing he was staring off into space. She caught his attention, earning a look down from him and a deep 'hm?'.

"Are you certain about letting him work here?" she asked. This was one of the **very **few time's she'd questioned the managers judgement, but she couldn't see how the little nerd could be of use. He was clumsy, awkward, and unable to control himself, he could be the reason that they get found out one day...

"Well...", the elder began, taking in a deep breath, and distracting Touka from her berating thoughts of her new co-worker. "It is true that he could be a... **liability**, but I want him around for a reason entirely different than an extra staff member..." Touka noticed his eyes shift slightly, into a state of reflection. "I wan't him around for Eto's sake as well..." he continued, a smile forming on his lips.

"Eto's?" Touka asked, a bit confused, honestly Eto was the most well-off out of them all, Touka couldn't imagine her needing anything from some college boy like him.

"Yes..." He replied, turning back towards Touka, "You see... Eto may not notice this herself, but she's so lonely... and it hurts me to see her that way. The entire reason she began writing, i assume, was to escape her lonesomeness. I once asked her, about one of her books, which character was her favorite, and do you know what she said?" He asked leaning down a little closer.

Touka shook her head, somewhat enthralled in the story.

The manager smiled warmly, "She said, 'Well, I've grown attached to them all...'" He paused once more. "I believe that Kaneki is the key to helping her rid herself of her loneliness. Both of them are Half-Ghouls, and while they hold a place in both worlds, they are the only ones of their kind..."

Touka took a moment to process this, what the older man was saying. "So... you want them to get together..." she asked, kind of amused by him. He was after all the only father who **wanted **their daughter to get with someone.

"I suppose you could say that..."

* * *

Two men walked down the bustling street of Tokyo, one tall, with short black hair, his posture straight and his presence powerful, the most simple way to describe him was: handsome. To his left, and slightly ahead of him, was a man less pleasing on the eyes, but one far more experienced. Said man has a slight hunch in his back(though it could just be the way he expressed his current mood of elation), his hair was white and long, hanging down past his chin, one eye open wider that the other. The two were complete opposites, in fact the only similarity they had was that they both carried brief cases with them.

"The 20th ward,huh?" The older of the two verbally stated, his voice filled with nostalgic glee. "I haven't been here since the owl case 10 years ago... Did I ever tell you that Koutarou?" He asked the man, behind him, Koutarou.

Koutarou, with a stoic expression on his face, lazily shifted his dark piercing eyes over to the shorter man, his superior and replying. "No... I don't believe you have, Mr. Mado." He said, his voice betraying his apathetic face with interest. Truth be told Kureo Mado was not one to really talk about the past, no instead he always looked ahead, almost as if for something... some**one**, rather. Upon their first meeting, Koutarou thought the old man insane, and even that he would be better institutionalized, but as he worked with him further Koutarou realized something... His superiors odd tendency's were not one of a crazy old man, but rather out of experience, of what he'd seen and done.

"Hmmm..." Kureo replied, seemingly lost in the past.

Clearing his throat, Koutarou spoke once more. "We should find that mother and daughter quickly..."

Kureo smiled slyly at this, that is what he liked so much about his subordinate... his intent on killing every ghoul that came across his path, it didn't matter what they looked like or were. He knew the felling Kureo knew, that intense burning hatred that raged inside you, hoping to lash out angrily at the ghoul race. "We'll find them...", he reassured, "that's why we came here after all..."

* * *

_**One week after the event's with Nishiki...**_

Kaneki was trying his best to carefully brew the coffee in a way that could at least compare to the managers. He carefully poured water from a blue tinted pitcher above it into the grounds which rested in a plastic container that would filter the juices into the coffee pitcher below. Kaneki's hands were trembling the whole time, it wasn't so much a fear that he'd drop the pitcher as much as that he wouldn't get it **just **right.

Ever since he was a child he had been a perfectionist, making the highest grades he could, being the best child he could, to please his verbally(sometimes physically) abusive aunt, who felt jealous of her dead sisters child, whom she **chose **to adopt in sympathy. It was only too late that he realized that his act's of striving to become the best that he could was exactly what ended up provoking his aunts abuse. She couldn't handle that her sister child was smarter than her's.

And while Kaneki did resent her for that, he blamed himself just as much for what he endured. If he's just failed more often on purpose then maybe she'd have at least left him alone, right?

"Alright, you can stop brewing now." The old ghoul said happily, hands behind his back.

Kaneki licked his lips and sighed, carefully setting down the pitcher to the right of the filter. Now was the moment of truth, would his own coffee succeed or fail? There was only one way to find out. Kaneki grabbed the pitcher, now filled with a dark brown liquid which Kaneki had learned to cherish any moment he had it, and tilted it onto it's side, letting the dark fluid waterfall out of a small, triangular slit and rest itself into the cup. The half-ghoul pulled away just as it was about to reach the top and set the pitcher down quickly.

Now holding the cup to his lips, he hesitated, he didn't want to fail in his coffee making skills, after all, they would be important the rest of his life. In all honesty, before becoming a ghoul, Kaneki never really felt much for coffee, sure he enjoyed it, but until it became his only source of flavored drink he'd been an acquaintance to the beverage and nothing more. In fact even when he **did **come into the coffee shop he rarely ordered anything, he just enjoyed the quiet of it and the peace.

Kaneki swallowed slightly and parted his lips, allowing for a tiny crawl space for the brown liquid to enter. He tilted the cup further and felt the warm liquid crawl onto his tongue and slowly cover it, allowing him to give his verdict... It was... 'good', he decided, somewhat smiling. It was a far cry away from Yoshimura's but it was... acceptable...

Kaneki sighed ,setting the cup down, "It's OK but it doesn't compare to yours... or Eto's" he said feeling a little dejected, prompting a laugh from Yoshimura and the feeling of a firm hand on his shoulder.

"These things take time, Ken." he explained, gently. "In fact, when I was a child I made horrible coffee, even to humans, I could hardly stomach it... It was so bitter and it stung my mouth." he paused to look around him, "But now I own a successful coffee shop now... So i'm confident you'll improve..." He reassured, offering a friendly smile as he retracted his wrinkled hand. "Now, I believe Touka is in need of your assistance down stairs, why don't you go so what she needs?"

"Right..." Kaneki said as he began to walk to the 1st floor, where the customers would congregate. To be honest he preferred when he was with Enji, because he wasn't someone who would be as rude to him as Touka. Not to say Touka was rude all the time, but she had a very short fuse for incompetence, she could be friendly when she wanted to though, she didn't have to stop him from eating Hide after all, right?

"Oh and one more thing, Kaneki." Eto's father called out, as they younger half-ghoul was about to take his first step out the door.

"Hm?"

"If you see a man wearing a suit or a white coat come in here with either a brief or attach case, very calmly come tell me and I'll deal with them..."

The description sounded very familiar to Kaneki, in fact a few days earlier he remembered Eto talking to him about the same thing. "You mean Doves, right?" Kaneki inquired, wondering if there was a connection, which there obviously was, Kaneki just wanted to make sure.

"Oh, I see my daughter is going over the dangers of being a ghoul with you," he smiled, happy that Eto was teaching their new friend on how to live as a ghoul, "still report it to me, I've developed my own way of throwing them off my case..." The older ghoul turned and began admiring the shelf behind him, in particular the three cup set he had in the center shelf.

* * *

Touka stood in front of the blond boy, who's name she never cared to inquire, as he blabbed on to her about... something. She found him annoying, his voice, his upbeat attitude(to upbeat to be an actual person), and not to mention his unrelenting attempts to try an seduce her. Honestly she sometimes wished she **hadn't **saved him that day, but she couldn't just let him be killed, not when she could stop it from happening. It wasn't out of sympathy for him, nor that dunce Kaneki, but rather a feeling she got when she imagined herself doing something similar to Yoriko. **That **scared her, the thought of killing her only friend at school, she supposed that was the reason hwhy she'd decided to interfere, that and Eto would be pissed.

"...I was really surprised at that!"

Touka was shaken out of her own mind at the sound of the humans voice, causing her to widen her eyes and move her head back at the volume. Touka, slightly annoyed, gave a laugh through her small smile and tucked her hair behind her ear. _Fucking shit that scared me, control your damn volume. _

Touka looked to her left without pivoting her head and noticed a familiar figure walk down the stairs carefully, his hand on the railing for support just in case he fell. The moment his feet touched the floor Touka attempted to get his attention.

"Pssst!" she called, nearly across the room. She didn't know why, he was to far away for his ears to catch it, not even a ghoul had **t****hat **good of hearing. However, he did, which surprised her for a sceond, but she decided it didn't rally matter.

Kaneki turned his head at the hiss like sound he heard, subconsciously curious as to who it's owner was. He saw Touka there motioning with her head for him to come over, reluctantly, he obeyed. Most of the time, whenever she called for him, it was to berate him or show him what he did wrong and then smack him in the back of his head lightly(but hard enough to sting).

Upon arrival Kaneki noticed a familiar bush of blond hair, Hide. Kaneki felt his face grow red in embarrassment as he realized that Hide had actually come to his work and seen him in his uniform. Hide, once, had told him, rather shamelessly, that if he dressed up like one of the waiters(or waitresses) he'd be fetish fuel for some people. Kaneki had hoped that Hide had forgotten that conversation...

"Hey, Kaneki!" Hide called, waving his arm side to side flamboyantly. "I can't believe a bookworm like you actually got a job!"

"Right..." Kaneki said, as he pulled up a notepad, relieved that Hide either didn't remember or chose not to bring up the conversation. "As long as you're here, why don't you order something?" He asked, kind of annoyed at Hide's sudden appearance, not that he didn't like his company, but his excessive talking was slowing down the speed at which they take orders.

"Oh... yeah, I'll have an ummmm.." he fumbled through the names of coffee he heard before, in his head, "a Cappuccino!" He said, proud of himself for naming one, rather than just saying 'coffee'. Hide then looked over to Touka, "And I want Ms. Touka to make it!"

Kaneki noticed Touka's subtle facial expression of annoyance and smirked to himself, it was a rare thing to see Touka doing something she didn't want to(normally she forced Kaneki to), but it was a customer's request, and while it could be considered sexual harassment, Touka did it simply because the manager would get onto her if she was rude to a customer.

Kaneki watched the raven haired girl walk into the back of the shop obviously quelling her rage, Touka didn't like doing work when there was someone else around to do it, and after all Kaneki **had **taken the order.

"Also, Kaneki, remind me to thank her..." Hide said, once she was out of sight, looking back at Kaneki.

Kaneki frowned and raised a single eyebrow. "Ahhh, for what?"

Hide frowned and looked at Kaneki, annoyance in his eyes. "What do you mean, 'for what'? Touka saved us from that car accident with Nishiki last week, idiot..."

"Car accident?" Kaneki asked. _So that's the explanation they gave him..._

"Yeah, don't you remember? Nishiki was so badly hurt that he's been hospitalized..." Hide said, looking out the window of the shop, a certain knowing look in his eyes. A look that made Kaneki feel uncomfortable.

Then, after what seemed a short while, Touka reappeared with a steaming Cappuccino, ready to be consumed.

"H-here you go..." Touka said, a little uneasy as she set the cup down carefully. Kaneki didn't know why, but Touka seemed to act shy in front of customers. Perhaps it was a physcological trick to get them coming back, or maybe she **was** shy, she just hated Kaneki **that **much.

"Ahhhh, thanks, Touka!" he said, picking up the cup and bringing it to his mouth.

* * *

Eto sat in the dark of her room at her house, in the front of her laptop. She had gotten a few chapters done on her new work, but she'd once again been faced with writers block, just like the day she'd met Kaneki, though, almost as if it were irony, Kaneki was the reason for her writers block. _He could have died that day, _she kept telling herself, _the only reason he wasn't killed is because he caught Nishiki off guard... Dammit, I should've know that little shit-head would be going to Kamii..._ Though, strangely, she didn't blame Nishiki(she used to be just like him), she didn't blame anyone, anyone but herself.

_If I hadn't been so mesmerized by the thought of exploring a damn library, I could've prevented the whole situation. _Eto rested a head of messy hair in her hands, letting it shadow her face and hide her apathetic expression. She hadn't slept the night she stayed at Anteiku, nor had she slept since that night, she couldn't, for some reason she felt an intense fear, like one she hadn't felt before, well... not since her father lost his arms, which was also **her fault**. But no, this feeling was almost new, she hadn't felt a fear like this when she faced doves, other ghouls, or when **she **got hurt.

The green haired woman let out a shaky breath and began speaking softly, "Dammit..." she whispered, growing angry with herself. She was mad for a multitude of reasons, she was currently having a case of writers block, shed been depriving herself of sleep, but most of all... it was the recurring realization that every horrible thing that had happened in her life, to herself or others she cared for, was her fault. And she deeply cared for Kaneki. In the short while she'd known him(1 and a half weeks) she'd forged an attachment with him, one she couldn't explain.

When they'd found him, Kaneki was drooling at the mouth with the most twisted expression on his face, it was 'one of pure hunger' as Touka described it. Throwing her head back up, hands covering her mouth, Eto sighed then shrugged. "Well, that's in the past now, what matters is that I don't let Kaneki get hurt again." she told herself, trying to move on once more... though she had a feeling tonight would herald more sleepless nights, but it was worth a shot, right?

* * *

It was late now at Anteiku, the customers had left, even Hide had gone home, now it was just the staff. Kaya Irimi, a woman who was silent most of the time, but kind: Enji Koma(or the Devil-Ape as he refered to himself), a rather talkative man with a weird hairstyle, the manager, Touka, and Kaneki. Touka and ther half-ghoul were busy cleaning tables off while the elder employee's were busy cleaning the counter area. It was times like these that Kaneki enjoyed working here the most, even if it had only been a few days. He enjoyed the calmness of the coffee shop at night the night sky contrasted by the coffee shops almost golden glow at night(thanks to the light reflecting off the hardwood floors, gave Kaneki an almost nostalgic feeling.

Then, distracting Kaneki from his admiration of the shop, a familiar **_ding _**echoed in the shop, followed by the sound of a door unlatching and the faint creak of it being pushed open. Kaneki looked up, to investigate the new visitors. He saw a woman, around 40 walking into the shop, a brown and tan dress adorning her, matching her hair, which was braided at the back and pulled over her shoulder, also adorned with hair pins. At her waist, hugging tightly was a girl around 13 or 14, a visible look of distress on her face.

"Oh, Ryouko!" Touka greeted happily.

"Hello, Touka..." Ryouko greeted happily, though there was a bit of emptiness in her voice, despite her smile. "Does the manager have the package?"

"Yeah, he's up stairs, go ahead." Touka said, throwing a thumb over her shoulder.

Ryouko nodded and thanked Touka, but not before a certain newcomer caught her eye.

"Oh, a new worker?" she asked, kindly.

Kaneki replied with a simple smile and wave accompanied by a "Hello..."

Ryoukou simply smiled and began walking up stairs, the girl with her, he noticed hid her face from the others and clung tightly to her mother.

* * *

_**Ok, Here it is chapter 5! Sorry if it felt like it took a while, it did for me... I don't know why but it feels like I've been working on this chapter for a few weeks now. Also! I updated the Cover. It's my own art, which I think describes the story of this Fanfic perfectly. I may make a better version of the cover though, as I drew it in 30 minutes. As Always Please Review!**_


	6. Sick

**Authors Notes: 101 followers, Hooray! You guys have no Idea how happy you've made me... Sorry this cahpter took so long to get out... Mortal Kombat X just released, and I'm having too much fun... defending earthrealm... Anywho, I love the support i've been getting with reviews and follows and favs, It's you guys that keep me motivated to keep writing these stories without you; I wouldn't even bother, Thank you all!**

**Update: I took the liberty to make an new cover, as I figured the last one was... well... was incredibly ugly, that is all. Enjoy.**

* * *

Koutarou Amon sat at the opposite end of his superior, Kureo Mado, who kept, most likely subconsciously, drumming his hands on the glossed wood of the meeting table. He held a childlike yet sadistic grin on his bony pale face, with one eye open much wider than the other, and he kept both on one slightly pudgy man. Said man was noticeably nervous under Kureo's gaze, many times now he'd brought a, once white nut now light gray, napkin up to his forehead. Personally Koutarou couldn't blame him, Kureo, to those unfamiliar, was almost like a murderer out of a horror film, he had the look of someone who enjoy's the feel of dead skin.

"Hmmm..." Kureo purred at the man, who had just made **his **weekly report of the 20th ward, as he began drumming his steel suit case. Koutarou, admittedly, had been paying no attention to the report of the man, he believed **Kusaba **was his name, Koutarou had a tendency to day dream on occasion, normally he didn't let it interfere with his job at CCG, but for whatever reason, his mind was preoccupied... it almost felt like a bad omen to him.

"And your report, Amon?" Kureo asked, quickly turning his white haired head to his subordinate, who kept an apathetic gaze the whole time.

The black haired investigator silently, almost robot like, picked up the two layers of paper off of the glossed wood, smacked the bottom of them twice to make sure they were aligned properly and cleared his throat silently. "Numbers 720 and 722 haven't been making any particular moves. Number 721 had a a chocolate croissant and cinnamon pound cake from doughnut masters for lunch... and a hot coffee to drink."

Kureo looked down at the desk, and brought his bony fingers to his mouth, contemplating the report Amon had given. His subordinate had given a much better report than the other two investigators, who, in all honesty, were slackers at best, it seemed that due to the relative peace of the 20th ward, The investigators had become far to accustomed to peace, and their work ethics had suffered for it. He'd be sure to mention it to the 'Nest' when this investigation finished.

"There was no change in facial expression or use of the lavatory either?" Kureo inquired, getting back on topic with Koutarou. The younger male simply shook his head, causing Kureo to sigh in disappointment. "I'm worried about the coffee order, though, so let's leave the case open for now..."

Turning his gaze back to Kusaba, he pulled his brief case closer to his chest, "What about 723, 20th ward head?"

Kusaba, gulped silently, and brought his arms closer to his body, in a primal attempt to shield himself from the sharp gaze. "Ah, yes," he began shakily, "the suspect used the train and got off at the fifth station," he paused for air, "She then headed and transferred towards sight B... I lost sight of her for a moment, but I rediscovered her in front of a stone monument at documented site C." he paused once more, to catch a glimpse of Koutarou's slightly judgmental look and gulped once more. this time more audibly. "After staying for 10 or so minutes, the target began traveling on foot... she then met with an acquaintance and rood back with him to his home." The man finished off weakly, as the gaze of the two other investigators grew sharper.

Soon silence filled the room, but Mado and his underling kept their stares on the glasses wearing man, who's eye's now began to dart back and forth from Kureo to Koutarou.

"ahhh... I-is something-"

"The license plate number..." Koutarou interupted, his voice betraying his stone face with a hint of annoyance .

"W-what?"

"Did you get the license plate number?" He asked, this time clearer in his wording choices and displaying his annoyance in each word. Kureo always enjoyed scenes like this, when his subordinate put less-than-adequate investigators in their place. It not only displayed Koutarous professionalism, but his own as well. Mado smiled slightly at the man's now red face, his hair becoming unkempt from the sweat dampening it.

"Ah" Kusaba stammered with his words, trying to not sound like a fool, when he spoke... and failed miserably. "I-I'm sorry I wasn't quite able to get it down..."

Koutarou sighed, closing his eye's in annoyance, surely it wasn't that tasking to get a the license number of a car, who more than likely stopped for a good 30 seconds to let the woman in. The 20th ward sure was full of lazy good for nothings. "Well then," he began, "The 'stone monument' that you spoke of must be a grave, right?"

Koutarou pulled up two documents paper clipped together, one featuring a man with a long brown ponytail who also adorned a slight scruff on their chin, It was ghoul 696. The man-eater also wore a toothy smile... a smile that made Koutarou angry. Ghoul's shouldn't be allowed to smile, shouldn't be allowed to feel the joy of being alive, and though this one was dead, it was like he was mocking him from beyond the grave.

The other was of a woman with deep brown hair, and flower pins adorning the part of it slung over her shoulder and hall the way down to her upper dress. If she was not a possible ghoul she would have been found beautiful by the investigator, but this really wasn't the time to be acknowledging sexual urges. Unlike the male ghoul, the female wore a shy, almost fake smile, her big eye's half open, almost as if she was sad.

"If it turns out that the items on the grave are associated with ghoul 696 , then number 723 will also be confirmed as a ghoul." He explained looking at the two mediocre investigators. "Why don't you pursue things to their fullest extent?" He asked with a tone of anger.

"So... I... I SHOULD'VE DUG THROUGH A GRAVE?!" He asked, not so much appalled at the idea as he was trying to come up with an excuse. "NO WAY! IT GOES AGAINST MY MORALS!"

Koutarou was silent for a moment, and Kureo had began to snicker almost inaudibly. "Morals?" the younger of the two asked, "Morals should be least of your worries when it comes to your job. You are here to destroy that which views humans as it's prey, to defend others from these monsters. **They **do not have morals, **They **do not care about who you care about, or even consider them when they kill you... Ghouls are emotionless monsters, and to kill them you must be too."

* * *

"You really chewed him out, didn't you, Koutarou?" Mado asked as he and his underling stalked down the hallways of the 20th ward office. Kureo had noticed, that as they were leaving the room, Koutarou Amon had been giving off a less the pleased air about himself. It made Kureo happy to see such conviction in one so young, in fact he hadn't felt as motivated as Koutarou until the middle of his career, after his wife Kasuka die- no, was **murdered**, Kureo dedicated his life to ending that damn species. After all, what kind of species has only **one **food source? No, he and Koutarou were doing nature a kindness and even the ghouls themselves to some extent. Ghouls had obviously failed in evolution, just about anything that can walk on legs can eat more than one thing, but ghouls had failed to evolve beyond that... they were not needed.

"Yeah..." Koutarou replied, hardly paying attention.

"Well, I think I'll retire for the day, as expected I'm once again tired from walking... You walk to fast, Koutarou." Kureo said, as he began to diverge from their shared path, his hunched over figure even more hunched over than usual, physically showing his exhaustion.

Amon however, hardly noticed as the older man left. He had to do something about this ward... it's laid back approach to the ghouls here was cause for concern and the fact that such a careless investigator was **head **pissed him off royally... _That lazy Kusaba said something about a stone monument, right? Well, there is a forest nearby the 20th ward, where the poor bury their dead, those who cant afford a funeral service anyway... perhaps I should go take a look._

* * *

Kaneki found himself in that same white space he was in many other nights... the same sky, the same temperature, same floor, in fact; he could even point out some clouds he'd seen before. At first it had been worrisome to him he'd begun to wonder if he was loosing his mind, or if something supernatural was happening... though now, he'd come to expect it every now and again.

The wind blew his dark hair in front of his eye's as he looked up to the sky, and once again, like all the other times he'd found himself here, he couldn't help but marvel at the beautiful sky. It was a calming blue, almost like the middle of the ocean, except far less intimidating. As per usual clouds adorned the blue, casting dark shadows on the reflective ground around him, for whatever reason he felt compelled to avoid those dark spots. He decided it was a primal fear of the dark, but he couldn't help but feel that there was another meaning to his reluctance.

And, as each time before, **She **appeared as well. Her hair, flowing wildly in the wind, it's purple hue dancing along an otherwise blue background, her eye's matching her follicles, and her dress also flowing. Though this time her expression was different, while she still wore the same happy, almost mocking, face that she wore there was a hint of annoyance in her features, it was faint but there.

But this time she was closer, much closer, and due to the distance change Kaneki could finally determine who it was. To be honest it shouldn't have taken this long, it should have been so hard... in fact it wasn't, he just didn't want to believe that he was seeing Rize in his mind. Maybe it was due to the trauma, maybe he **was **crazy, or maybe... it's because what rested inside of him... now, **that** was a terrifying thought.

"Ka-ne-ki..." she sung, the annoyance he thought he'd seen on her face now vocalized, if even ever so slightly. "Why haven't you been eating your meals?" She asked, placing a hand on her hip and tilting her figure in a somewhat sassy way. "It's not good for you, ya'know?" she paused too look at her purple nails, "And while those sugar cubes do help a bit... you and I both know that they won't last forever..."

Kaneki looked away from the purple haired girl, her words made him begin to worry. He knew she was right, he **had **to eventually eat a human... if he wanted to live. But that begged another question, did he want to live like this anymore? Unlike Eto he was a freak, an artificial monster made by careless surgery by an aging doctor... But, did he wan't to die? He didn't like the idea of causing Kaya, Enji, Touka, Yoshimura, and most of all Eto any pain, due to his inability to adapt.

He looked back up to wear Rize stood, trying to see what she may have been thinking, he knew it was stupid, it was just a dream, but still he wanted to know...

What he saw, however, frightened him. There was a perfectly straight dark line across the ground, on his side, the light remained normal almost as if nothing had changed, nothing at all... On the other side, however, rage a storm, it was dark, the winds swirled, and in the distance rain crashed down upon the earth, it was like starring into the apocalypse, and just a few feet away from the line... was Rize, smiling ever so gently and adjusting her glasses. "Until next time, Ken..."

* * *

Kaneki opened his eye's rather calmly, despite his dream, and to his delight found himself in his bed, The soft mattress supporting him, the blanket covering him and keeping him warm... with Eto as extra warmth. During the past few days or so, Eto had more frequently been sharing a bed with him, at first he found it uncomfortable, especially due to the gender difference and her tendency to hold him while he slept, seemingly not caring how much he felt of her on him. Though speaking of which, she'd also been becoming more and more present with him. She practically didn't let him go anywhere without her knowing where he was heading, or her going with him. He didn't mind, but he had noticed, and it worried him.

Speaking of **her **now, Kaneki noticed that, most likely while he slept, that he'd begun to nibble on her finger, as it was in his mouth and being slightly pinched between his teeth. Her fingers he noted, like so many times before, were soft and... well... tasted nice, but Eto had explained already why that would be. Kaneki, now visibly embarrassed pulled the finger out of his mouth, noting that he had left a bit of spittle on the tip.

Kaneki then heard a tired giggle in his ear, accompanied by warm, relaxing breath, that tickled his skin, making him almost want to sleep again. "You seem hungry..." She said tiredly into his ear, before re-positioning her head on top of his own, letting her green locks fall in front of his face.

Kaneki was tempted to let her stay like that, to keep feeling her warm breath tickle his scalp and lull him back to sleep, but he couldn't, he had to get to work, there was much he had to do, including tutor Hinami... Hinami had warmed up to him in the week she had been at Anteiku, especially since he'd begun to teach her on how to read Kanji. Eto, or 'biggest sister', as the young brunette ghoul had taken to calling her had apparently been tutoring Hinami before he'd shown up, but Hinami rarely saw her and so she didn't know much at all. And, as a bonus, it seemed Touka had been(even if just slightly) had been nicer to him for doing so with Hinami.

"Eto, I have to get up..." He groaned, exhaustion in his voice. While **he **wanted to get up, it seemed his body didn't.

Eto, ever the lazy one, pulled him closer and whispered in to the back of his head, muffling her voice slightly, "mmm... No you don't..." she said matter-of-factly, well as much as she could, seeing as how tired she was.

Eto smiled as she felt Kaneki's back against her, he was so warm and mushy, she smiled at the word, _Mushy_, she thought, _That describes him perfectly... yeah, he's very mushy..._ Just last night Ken, the mushy guy, was almost made to go collect 'food' for Anteiku, and he would have had she not spoken up against it, Eto didn't quite yet want him to be dismembering dead bodies, she wasn't sure he could handle that mentally and physically. Besides, if he had to go with Yomo, he'd most certainly be bored or scared to hell... most likely the latter.

"What do you mean, no?" He asked, his voice displaying the same exhausted gurgle hers was.

Eto, still to tired to open her green eyes, placed her entire face now onto the top of his head. Kaneki's hair was soft, she noted, that was why she liked to play with it so much, in fact just last night she found herself sniffing it, enjoying the scent. "I called in for you..." she began, "There's something I need to teach you how to do today... It's going to take a while..." she paused, feeling a bit reluctant to tell him what she was about to. "You're gonna be throwing up a lot..." her voice turned serious and her grip on the younger half-ghoul became tighter.

She felt Kaneki tense up at the mention of him regurgitating, she hated to make him do this, but it was something that needed to be done, or he'd never survive as what he'd become. "So, to prepare yourself for it, I wan't you to get some more rest, trust me, it'll make the experience less disgusting." Eto then, to help Kaneki fall into slumber, began dragging her index finger and thumb across his forehead, while she played with his hair.

* * *

It was sometime after noon now, Kaneki could tell, because the light pouring in from the windows had an orange tint to it. They were now in the kitchen, Eto struggling to keep her big green eye's open, and to keep her head up as she walked to the fridge. Kaneki, was in a similar state, but a bit more aware due to the warning she had given him; 'You're gonna be throwing up a lot...' The way she said that made him shiver, and he could swear he could already feel the stinging flavor of vomit on the back of his tongue.

The green haired woman reached into the refrigerator and began rearranging different packaged foods, including both human food and... humans. Kaneki could here her muttering to herself, asking herself were exactly she put wherever she she was searching for. Kaneki gulped, he knew what she was looking for, it was obvious: human food. Kaneki felt his stomach tighten up, and he began to feel his bowels become slightly loser, a reaction his body had whenever he became nervous.

Kaneki remembered, during the week in between when he was released fro the care of the hospital and the time Eto had moved him in, that everything he ate tasted horrendous. Bread was like a dry sponge, cheese tasted molded and stale, ham tasted like rubber, even the sweater things were disgusting to him. The hybrid remembered trying a cookie and instantly feeling like he was going to vomit out his stomach... originally he had thought it to be the trauma from the steel beam incident... he was sourly mistaken.

snapping him from his thoughts, Eto dropped a plate onto the dining table on the far side of the kitchen. It rattled as it slightly bounced from impact, before it settled. On it were three, perfectly cut triangle sandwiches, they sat straight up and side to side, next to them stood Eto, arms folded across her chest as she waited expectantly. Kaneki felt his blood run cold, she didn't expect him to eat that did she? There was no way he'd be able to keep that down.

Eto smiled a thin smile, and giggled softly, "They're perfectly edible..." she said as she carefully plucked one of the three sandwiches from it's spot. Ken Kaneki watched with surprise, and a little bit of horror as Eto slowly, almost as if she wanted to keep him in suspense, drew the ham, bread, and cheese closer to her mouth. She took a single bite out of it, chewed about ten or so times then swallowed, making a satisfied humming sound as she set it back down.

Kaneki face, much to Eto's amusement, was one of concern, confusion, and disbelief, after all he just saw- no, he **thought **he saw her eat a sandwich, something that would normally be impossible for a ghoul to even consider eating. "See?" she said, her voice almost betraying her plan, "Now you try one."

The younger of the two, stepped back once, not quite to sure about it, after all, what if it was one of Eto's jokes? "I don't think so... besides I'm not that hungry..." he said, joking a little bit at the insinuation of his hunger being satiated by nutrients of non human origins.

"Don't make me force feed you, again..." She threatened smirking at him, knowing how uncomfortable it was, and also knowing how uncomfortable she was about to make him. "Unless, of course, that's what you like..."

Kaneki, disturbed by the insinuation of him... getting off... at being force fed, quickly moved, almost slid, to the table on which the food rested, trying his utmost to show that he in fact did not enjoy being held down and fed.

The half-breed looked down upon the two sandwiches that stood side by side, his heart beating faster, as his taste buds, in an attempt to warn him of his recent experience with such foods, simulated the taste of vomit resting on his tongue. Slowly, so slowly, Kaneki extended his hand towards one of the duo, reluctant to even touch it, let alone put the damn thing in his mouth.

Picking up the combination of foods, Kaneki brought it up to his mouth, slowly opening it as his lips twitched. Kaneki then quickly, very quickly, shoved the tip of the sandwich into his mouth... only to be met by what he expected: his forced regurgitation of said food. Rushing to the nearby trash bin, the half ghoul leaned over and spit the now fused together pieces of bread, ham, and cheese. He felt warm droplets crawls out of his eye's showing his distaste at the food, and as his senses returned, he heard Eto laughing hysterically behind him.

Eto, as she kept laughing, felt sorry for the boy, and even more sorry for the trick she played on him, but he was just so gullible it was hard not to. Kaneki wiped spittled from the edge of his mouth with his fore arm as he lifted himself up with a shaky arm. His eye's were red with gag reflex induced tears and his face a similar shade with embarrassment... Seeing this... Eto's laughter only reignited itself.

Sometime after Eto had fully released ever little giggle that had crawled up from her lungs, she finally began to explain herself to Kaneki's accusatory face. "I'm so sorry... I just... You're far too easy!" she giggled a little, "But, the reason I made you do that is to teach you-"

"What, that I can't eat human food?" Kaneki slightly snapped at Eto, who brushed off the tone of his voice with a smile.

"No, Ken, that there you need to learn **HOW **to eat human food..."

Kaneki didn't reply, his face merely changes from accusation to curiosity. Eto liked that look on him, it suited him better, not only as a cosmetic feature, but as a personal feature, Kaneki was learning a lot lately, so he'd often wear that face throughout most of the day... The angry look just didn't suit him, in fact she didn't like that look on him.

"You see," she began "You are going to have to eat human food every now and again, as to not arouse suspicion from your human acquaintances, however, ghouls not only detest human food, it can cause them to become ill, so over the years we've developed a way to get around it." She said, picking up the remaining sandwich from the plate. "Watch, I'll open my mouth so you can see."

Eto took a bite out of the sandwich, open mouth and swallowed the bite whole, then made chewing sounds as she opened and closed her mouth, showing Kaneki exactly how it should be done. said hybrid watched as she set the food back unto the plate and spoke once more, "I wan't you to spend all day practicing, It won't come easy, trust me, but in time, you'll get it. I have an entire fridge filled with different foods for you to experiment with, so there's no shortage, don't worry." With that, and a sly, teasing smile the green haired woman left for the living room, plopped herself down on the brown couch, which squeaked at the impact, and flicked the television on, "I'll be right here if you need me!" she called, waving a thin arm above her head.

Kaneki gulped for umpteenth time that day, looking to the white box in the corner of the kitchen. _A fridge full, huh? _he mentally groaned, _Thanks..._

* * *

Eto stood outside of the downstairs restroom, It'd been about 3 hours since Kaneki had started... 'practicing' and his stomach was finally showing it's anger with him, in fact there wasn't a five second pause without the sounds of regurgitated food being rocketed out of his mouth. The author was beginning to get worried, and for good reason, she hadn't expected Kaneki to be this intolerant, in fact, she figured he'd be more accustomed to it than most, considering his human origins.

She sighed and knocked her knuckles against the door three times, hopefully distracting him from his upchucking of food. "Kaneki, are you okay in there?" she asked, letting worry slip through her normally happy, cheerful voice. Her reply was a thunderous 'blegh!' emitting from Kaneki, making her slightly cringe at the sound, _definitely a bad idea... _

"Well," she began, giggling nervously, "The good news is that I've decided you're done for the day!" she called, hoping that it would make him feel a little better... his response was the same. _Sorry..._

Then a ding sounded through the home, alerting her(and if Kaneki heard it him as well), that they had visitors.

* * *

Hinami and her mother stood on the front step of 'biggest sister's' home, The reason they came by was because Hinami had caught wind that her pseudo older brother was under the weather, and she(being ever the caring girl) wanted to check on him. But, one thing had caught the young brunette off-guard... _Biggest sister and big brother live together? _

Hinami was holding back a small blush, being a 13 year old girl was pretty much the same for humans and ghouls, and so Hinami had automatically assumed one thing: Her pseudo siblings were dating... The thought made her feel weird, though she thought it fit quite well... big brother had one Kakugan on his left eye, and biggest sister had one on her right... in a way they were like a puzzle piece... _And puzzle pieces... have places that interlock... _Hinami added, her mind momentarily taking a dive into the gutter, causing a light sheen of red to crawl over her cheeks.

A series of metal clicks were heard, then, but a few moments later a thin, petite, green haired woman stepped out with a bright smile on her face... she was also still in her pajama's, and while they weren't quite so revealing, Hinami had to wonder why she would wear such an outfit... even if she and big brother were... together, which Hinami wasn't sure was the case, just somewhat hoped it to be.

"Biggest sister!" The younger brunette cried out happily, throwing her arms out and embracing the woman around her waist.

Eto laughed as she rocked backwards on her feet, it'd been almost a year since she'd seen the girl, and she'd missed out on being able to tutor her. Ryouko couldn't do it because she never attended school either, and on top of that she mainly relied on her husband as a source of income and food, so right now, maybe Hinami needed something to distract her from her life, maybe like a visit to her 'biggest sister'. But, Eto felt bad, she'd known the girl had been at Anteiku for about a week and still didn't make the time to pay said girl a visit.

"Hello, Hinami." She replied, smiling pulling the child off her legs. "Come to see me? Want me to read you some books?" Eto inquired as she brought herself down to Hinami's level, resting the rest of her body on her calves.

Hinami frowned, making an uneasy groan at the suggestion, "Well, I-I'd like to but-"

"I'm sorry, Eto," Ryouko broke in, "but, we can't stay long, we just wanted to check on Kaneki and see if he was all right..." She said, the sad tone of her voice pouring through multiple cracks in her happy facade. Eto couldn't quite figure out why she even put a facade up, it's not like she would be looked down upon for crying at the loss of her husband... maybe it was for Hinami... after all, she needed her mother to be strong now, for her sake.

Eto, picking herself back up and sighed. "Well, Kaneki is preoccupied with blowing chunks into the toilet bowl right now... so I don't think he can really accept visitors..." She said, mimicking the disappointment on Hinami's features. "... Sorry."

"I- I see..." said Hinami, looking a little more downcast.

"Well," spoke Ryouko, "tell him we hope he starts feeling better..." she said, placing a light hand on Hinami's shoulder, making it obvious on how bad she wanted to see her new friend. "Come on, Hinami, we need to get back to Anteiku, it's getting late... and about to rain."

"Sorry, again." Eto said, now leaning against the door frame, "Tell my father Kaneki's had a rough day... so he may be staying in tomorrow as well."

"I will..."

* * *

Eto waved as they walked down the street, Hinami's head slightly lower than when she arrived and Ryouko opening the light blue umbrella she had for said rain. She felt guilty, denying Hinami her visit of Kaneki, but what he needed right now was rest, and she felt guilty for that as well. Sighing, the green haired author closed the door, blocking herself, and the rest of the interior of her home, from the coming rain storm.

Just as the metal locked into place, the bathroom door creaked open slowly, to a slighlty pale Kaneki, who was in the process of wiping spittle off of his face.

"Feel better?" Eto teased.

"Yeah... who came by?"

"Hinami, wondering how you were doing, I told her you were too sick to take visitors. Guess I was wrong."

"Oh..."

There was a momentary silence between them as Eto began to stretch her arms and grunt in satisfaction, she was tired, she had no right to be, she'd only been up for a total of 3 hours, but her body was begging for more sleep, and she was more than willing to comply, however it's in these times that everyone remembers that one little thing that they needed to do just before they sleep.

"Awww, damn..." she said as she lazily let her arms hang, causing the back of her tan pajama shirt to lift slightly.

"What is it?"

"I forgot to give Hinami the Hanged man's MacGuffin... I was meaining to by the time it came out, but I never quite got to it." She groaned, placing to fingers to her forehead.

"I... I can if you want..." Kaneki offered, a little bit reluctantly.

"I thought you were sick?" She replied, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, they just left right? I can catch up and get back...", then a loud boom sounded outside the home. "I'll just need an umbrella..." Kaneki said, giggling a little, at the sudden interference of nature

* * *

Hinami and her mother were walking back to Anteiku in silence, she felt a little disappointed, she was hoping her pseudo sibling would help her learn more Kanji, but it seemed that she was not so lucky today. Still, she wished she could've said hi to Kaneki at least. Though their first meeting had been... clumsy... Kaneki had turned out to be so helpful... _Just like biggest sister, _Hinami added, smiling.

In her personal opinion, Hinami figured that her two friends would make a great pair. They were both nice, they both enjoy books, they're both Half-ghouls, and they both smelt the same(just about). But, speaking of smell, Hinami was beginning to notice an unfamiliar scent... and it was getting stronger. Then, the girls ears began to pick up vibrations through the air, she heard footsteps, which was not uncommon in Tokyo, definetly not, but theese were different... these had **purpose**... snd they were getting closer and closer.

Nervously, Hinami began to tug on her mothers shirt, prompting the older woman to ask her daughter what had been bothering her. "We need to leave..." Hinami whispered, standing on the tips of her furry boots to get closer to her mothers ears.

Without hesitation, Ryouko began to walk with a new fire in her legs, dragging her daughter behind her. Hinami's senses were sharper than most ghouls, much sharper than her own, so she had no idea where to go, but forward. "Hinami!" she silently snapped, a new tone in her voice, one she hardly ever took with her daughter, "Who's after us?"

Hinami was merely shaking while being pulled along, nearly tripping a few times. "D..." she stuttered out, eye's wide.

"Who?!"

"Da-"

Suddenly two men appeared before her and her daughter, they wore business suits, one black, and one a similar color only with a white overcoat. The taller one, the one wearing the black, looked normal, even average(despite his immense height), the one in white however, was something out of a slasher movie, he had this sadistic look on his bony, pale face, and the unkempt chin length white hair to match.

"Number 723..." He said, surprisingly gently, but still with a slight menace to his voice. "I believe we have a few things that belong to you... but were not quite sure..."

The taller man, without saying a word, pulled a white, phantom of the opera style mask out of his suit jacket and held it out to the point that it was visible to mother and daughter, the white haired man, however pulled out something much more dire.

He slung it about, around him, whipping it back and forth mockingly. It was long, bony and had curved blades on each of it's segments. It didn't need to be said what it was, it was painfully obvious, so painfully... that Ryouko felt a tear stream down her right cheek, however, Hinami said it, a word that stung her mother so deeply, that it almost paralyzed her.

"Daddy..."


	7. Tending Wounds

**My goodness... Thank you all, so much for over 100 favorites! It really means a lot to me!, but anyways, on with the chapter**

* * *

Hinami was running now, she didn't know how, and she didn't know where, perhaps back to her pseudo siblings' home, maybe to the coffee shop, again she didn't know. Her mother had told her to run, then a large, flower-petal like organ emerged from her back and surrounded the both of them, sheilding the mother and daughter from the rain, and the investigators. Her mother had traced Hinami's cheek sadly as a smile had graced the elders soft lips, even as single tear rolled down that same face and then she said what had put Hinami into motion, before she violently swung out her kagune. "Hinami, run."

* * *

Kaneki walked calmly down the busy Tokyo sidewalk, a blue umbrella, matching his hoodie, in one hand, and a beige bag slung over his shoulder, holding a copy of Eto's new book: 'The Hanged Man's McGuffin', inside it's protected pouch. The rain was coming down hard now, the tiny droplets were so plentiful that they were creating a white haze around the city of Tokyo, and furiously, almost angrily, as if trying to tell him something important, beating on his blue umbrella. But, he shrugged it off as his own imagination.

Turning the corner, he once again found that the mother-daughter pair were nowhere in sight and sighed. He'd hoped that he would catch them sooner than this but they **did **have a major head start, they were probably already at Anteiku. Kaneki forwned and continued his walk, luckily for him, Anteiku was only a few blocks away, and if the rain got to violent, then he would stay there till it let up. Maybe he could help Hinami learn more Kanji.

As the college student moved closer to yet another turn, a brunette blur sped from around it, going to fast to stop before it hit him, nearly knocking him off his feet. clumsily, he stumbled back a distance before he gained his bearings, carefully steadying his umbrella as to not get hit by the rain. The blur, now still after bouncing off him and falling onto the ground, revealed itself as a young girl... actually, he knew this girl... it was Hinami, but something was different about her now. Her eye's, once happy and kind, were now filled to the brim with: horror, urgency, and... a little bit of contempt. Violent tears streamed down her round face, blending into the rain. That's when Kaneki noticed that Hinami was without an umbrella... and her mother.

"H-Hinami?" Ken asked, a little surprised at her sudden appearance. "What's going on? Why are you here alone? I thought you-"

Kaneki was interrupted as the young ghouls wrapped her arms around Kaneki's waist and held tight. "B-big brother!" she cried, with sadness in the rain and the crowd, which had no time to deal with the two young people, parted around them. "M-Mom's... M'mom's..!"

Kaneki interrupted her now, dropping to one knee and placing his hand's on her shoulders with an unintentional strength, causing her to wince slightly. "What's going on with your mother?" he asked, his own voice frantic now, "Is she in trouble?"

Hinami's face simply contorted into different versions of the same horror, tears streamed down her face continuously, her eye's were barley visible, she couldn't speak, her throat was filled with a heavy weight that refused her air out of her body. "D-Do... I-... She..."

Kaneki, now panicking, gripped her shoulders tighter, again causing her to wince. He could piece together what was going on by a single incomplete word, 'Do-'. There were only two letters, but there was a certain pronunciation. It was not 'dew' as in 'do you?'. but rather 'duh', as in '**dove**'. "Take me to her!" Kaneki said, panic over taking him now, the only thing he could think of right now... was saving Ryouko.

* * *

Ryouko pushed hard against the single appendage of her late husbands Kagune, it was hard, heavy even, and she struggled to shield herself from the attacks, and keep the other three at bay. The mother had already sustained a few light wounds herself from said weapon, they stung but she needed to keep them busy long enough for Hinami to escape.

When they'd arrived, she was lucky to see that they had no camera's, nor were they around any traffic lights, so she was 99% sure that Hinami was not caught on camera, but she'd have remain confined for a while.

_Look at me... _the older ghoul thought as another blow landed on her Kagune, _who would have thought that **I**, who couldn't even hunt for herself, let alone harm someone... but here I am, fighting... My legs feel like they'll give way any moment, my hands are sweaty, my arms feel like noodles, and i feel like i don't have a torso... But, all things considered... I feel like I can win... maybe... I won't leave Hinami just yet._

Another heavy crash fell upon her Kagune, sending her back a little. "Oh my, Mrs. Fueguchi... you may not be a fighter, but your Kagune is so thick... I think I'll enjoy molding it into my new quinque. The man in question, the one with a sadistic, crazed look in his eyes, along with that skeletal face, retracted the severed appendage and held it loosely, taping his fingers on the handle of the whip-like weapon. "It may just be harder and stronger than your husbands... After all, you are putting up a better fight than him..." He recalled a slight giddyness in his voice, "In fact he was slaughtered if i remember correctly, again I don't know exactly how easy he was... I tend to forget key details of the lesser trash of your species."

The way he spoke... as if he was talking to a child, or one of his comrades about a prize he'd won in some contest about her husbands demise, calling him 'lesser trash', the man she **loved** 'lesser trash'... sent the mother right over the edge. For the first time in her life of peace and non- violence, Ryouko felt an urge, a fiery sensation burning in her face and upper body, an urge to kill... not for food... but for sheer pleasure.

She broke the guard she had set up around herself with her quad- appendage kagune and shot them at him, hoping to run him straight through... unfortunately for her, this was what he wanted...

Laughing, the investigator, twirled, narrowly escaping the vanilla tentacle that threatened to rip him in two and smash the remains. "Oh my, Mrs. Fueguchi!", he called, the elation in his voice rising considerably, as he now rushed for her, "How **childish **of you!" The man then slung the quinque, overhand, at her. Her own Kagune was to far out to pull back in now... she was too open.

With horrifying pain, one of the curved blades on the weapon tearing into her collar bone, leaving a deep, gushing wound in her body. Ryouko didn't scream, it wasn't resiliency that held her tongue, nor her own mouth, which was wide open, but rather shock... shock was her savior. She was only numb now, a slight throbbing in her body, but it wasn't that bad all things considered, she hadn't even noticed that she'd dropped to her knee's, nor that her once brown dress was now dark red and said red surrounded her body in a puddle.

The man now stood before her, quinque lazily laying behind him, like a snake that was placed in a cold environment for a certain period of time, and his grin ever so big on his thin face. "Oh my, Mrs. fueguchi", he feigned concern, "You seem to have a little cut." Ryouko said nothing, she merely avoided his gaze, and kept her sad eye's hidden, she only wished she could've seen Hinami a final time.

however, just past the man, Ryouko saw a face, a familiar one, two in fact. It was Hinami and... Kaneki? Kaneki held Hianmi back, hiding themselves behind a wall. He had one hand over her eye's and one over her mouth... unfortunately his hands were not big enough to cover her ears as well, which gace her the dissatisfaction of hearing her mothers death, still she was glad she got to see Hinami as her final sight in this world.

"Well, Mrs. Fueguchi? Any last words... I'm feeling quite generous today, so I'll give you that much..."

"Hinami... Li-" That was the last and only thing Ryouko got to say before the Kagune of her husband smashed down on her neck, severing her still smiling head, and then some, clean of her body, making it clumsily and violently tumble to the ground.

"Oh, my bad... But, you know... **Butter fingers**!"

* * *

Touka bitterly stomped down the street, black knapsack slung over her shoulder adorned with a small bunny key chain. Touka had decided that day, that she hated school. Sure, most teenagers say that but don't necessarily **mean **it, but Touka really, truly, from the deepest pits of hell, **meant it**. Why? Well, that was actually an embarrassing reason... She failed a classical literature test... by a question. The thought of her missing that question burned at her, as it was made all the more embarrassing by the fact that she carefully examined each question thoroughly, because that meant one thing... She was an idiot.

"Dammit..." she muttered to herself through clenched teeth, "I suck ass at classical literature, why in the hell do I even bother?"

Sighing, Touka came to a stop at the entrance of Anteiku, and looked at it with confusion. On it's brown wood surface a sign hung lazily that read 'closed'. Touka was a bit dumbstruck, she hadn't been informed that today was an off-day, and she didn't think i was a holiday, maybe the manager was sick... but that wasn't a reason to close the shop. Touka frowned, the manager had her cell number, he could've called her and told her... though her high school didn't have very good reception.

Sighing, the dark haired girl attempted, just out of curiosity, to open up the door. Much to her surprise... it was unlocked.

Now, being very cautious, Touka stepped in, trying to mute the sound of her uniform shoes from tapping on the hardwood floor, and trying to make sure the door didn't creak or slam shut. What if a burglar, or murder stepped in? Sure she could most likely take them without breaking a sweat, but it would be difficult explain to the police how a 16 year old girl punched a whole into a full grown man's chest. Even more so to the manager why she killed him anyway.

Then, making her jump slighty, she heard a set of footsteps making there way down the stairs that led up to the staff only areas. The foot steps were loud almost thunderous and they made Touka start to feel increasingly uneasy. Cold sweat began to melt out of her skin and her hair became unbearably hot for some reason. _Dammit,__this is just fucking great, I can feel my uniform getting soaked... now I'm going to have wash sweat out of it... and maybe blood. _She thought, the possibility of a break in still fresh in her mind.

As she saw shiny boots touch the floor she already knew who it was, but still, her body was already in motion, and they were to close. _Shit! _However, her hand was gripped lightly and brought to a complete and udder stop. The manager now held her balled up fist, inches from his face, which he wore a surprised look on. Touka was alway's surprised with how vigilant he was, even though he always seemed to have his eye's closed. It made her wonder just what type of ghoul he was back when he was in the past.

"Touka." He said, surprised, completely unfazed by the sudden attack. Though, this hardly surprised Touka, he knew very well how violent she could be.

Embaressed, she retracted her hand, "O-oh, y-you were open... I thought that- Uh the sign is backwards I guess." She corrected herself, quickly before she embaressed herself even more so.

"But, more importantly get this, I failed my test, by one-"

"Touka..." He said, both sadly and commanding, prompting her to stop talking. The last time she heard him sound like this... was when Yomo had reported Ayato being spotted in the 14th ward. She knew something was wrong... she just didn't know what.

"Y-yes..?" She asked, now breathing heavily, trying to contain her worry and failing miserably.

"Could you come up stairs for a moment. please?"

* * *

Kaneki and Eto sat close together now, her arm rested gently across his shoulders in a comforting way, pulling his body close to her own, almost as if she knew what he was feeling. It was immediately after Ryouko's decapitation that Kaneki had rushed(carried to be precise) a balling Hinami home in his arms, hoping to God that the doves didn't catch wind of them. She stayed the night last night... and the entire time... all she would do is cry.

By the time morning came and everyone, besides Touka, who had been busy at school, was informed Hinami remained silent, almost shutting herself off from the world. Her face showed her despair as well, the brunette had deep black lines around her eye's accompanied by a raw meat colored ring due from sleeplessness and crying. She didn't bother changing clothes, no she decided that what she wore that day would be fine... that... or she didn't notice that she was even wearing it. In fact Hinami had reverted into somewhat of a toy, allowing others to put her into motion... It made Kaneki even angrier with himself, because he knew that it was his fault.

A metal chink was then heard, followed by the turning of a knob, prompting all those in the room: Renji, Kaya, Enji, Eto, and Kaneki himself to focus on the door. The wooden slab moved into the room, revealing the manager a somber look on his wrinkled features, and a comforting hand on his companion's, Touka, left shoulder. From the looks of it... Touka had no clue what was going on, which made it all the worse for Kaneki to bare.

A soft, uneasy chuckle escaped the girls mouth, followed by an equally uneasy smile. "E-even Yomo is here..." She said, looking over to the tall well-built man in the corner, his arms crossed over his chest, prompting him to look away. Yomo, Kaneki had come to know, was not a talker. No, he actually seemed to prefer solitude to actual company, and(according to Eto at least) he was actually much kinder than he let on, still Kaneki didn't know if he could go 'collecting' with him... ever.

The room was silent, in fact, no one even bothered to greet Touka. It wasn't out of spite, or any emotion like that, but rather mournfulness. Said, sudden silence encouraged Touka to exam each of their faces, all bearing the same downcast look, almost like a disease. These faces were not lost on her...

"D-did... Did something happen?" she asked, a small crack in her voice breaking sharply.

Kaneki wanted to say something, anything, but he couldn't, even though he knew everyone... including Eto was thinking it. It... was his fault... that Ryouko had died... He should have done something to interfere, he wasn't going to try to defend himself this time and ask rhetorically 'but what could I do', because he knew the answer to that, and that answer was: **something**. He could've done something, but he didn't and now Hinami's mother was dead.

_I should have been the one to die yesterday..._ Kaneki thought, warm tears threatening to leak through his eyes. _If I weren't so damn pathetic then I could have saved Hinami's mother... and she wouldn't have to be going through all this._

Finally, after guilting himself relentlessly into speaking up and taking responsibility for his actions he opened his mouth... Only to be interrupted by the manager who now spoke with a loud, but sad, voice, almost trying to overtake his own.

"Mrs. Fueguchi was killed by Doves in the 20th ward yesterday..." He paused, giving the waitress time to let that sink in before preparing the truly sad news. "It seems... she was attempting to protect Hinami..."

_That's a lie._

The waitress appeared unfazed at first, her eye boredly moving to examin the brown door frame next to her, as if the information wasn't worth the time. Kaneki felt a sudden rush of anger overtake him. A person had died, and she was acting like it was no big deal? How dare she? What a cold hearte-

A sudden boom was heard, followed by a loud crack, Courtesy of Touka's fist slamming into the door frame. Kanek jumped, feeling a sudden surge of lightning race through his nerves. Though he also felt a little ashamed... he'd judged Touka for coping with the new's in her own way... now **he **felt cold hearted...

"Where's Hinami?" Touka asked, her voice a bit wavy under the weight of sadness.

"She's asleep in the other room," answered Eto now, voice kind and soft, almost relaxing, "She stayed with Kaneki and I last night... she couldn't sleep..."

"Why was she with you?" Touka asked raising an eyebrow, a new curiosity peaking her interest. At the question, Kaneki felt a lump in his throat, every one else already blamed him for Royuko's death, even if they didn't come out right, he knew they did, could her bare yet another accusatory stare?... Then again... did it even matter?

"I-I..." Kaneki stammered out, breath now quick and heart pounding. "I brought her back..." He said, almost quickly, so that Touka wouldn't be able to register it. He knew after that she should be able to piece together how things went, but he didn't stop. "I watched as she was killed... I... I should've done something, but I was just too damn scared!"

A tense silence settled within the room, as Touka stared at the hybrid, a surprised look in her visible eye, It wasn't one of contempt, but rather surprise. Eto, Kaneki felt, stiffened at the sudden outburst, almost as if she herself was responsible for the death. Kaya looked sad down at him, mouth agape, an expression Enji shared. Yomo simply looked away, hiding his response to Kaneki's sudden outburst of self loathing. The half-ghoul couldn't see the manager's expression, as he was in at an angle that Kaneki couldn't reach, not without snapping his neck, but he did hear a low, saddened sigh emitted from the elder.

Twisting his head back around, he wanted to see if Touka's expression had changed, to see if she now held the somewhat sympathetic look the others had... But, he didn't see Touka, no instead he saw a balled up fist flying towards him, trembling with rage.

The fist connected roughly onto his cheek, sending the college student rolling off of the couch he had situated himself on. Kaneki groaned out in pain as his head connected with the edge of the coffee table. The impact of the table didn't hurt at all, just the shock of it all, Kaneki's body still wasn't quite used to being a ghoul yet, so he **thought **that he was in pain, but in actuality it was nothing more than a mild annoyance.

"You fucking coward!" He heard a high, angry scream pierce through the air, aimed at him.

Touka gave him no time to recover as she leapt unto his chest and struck him once more across the face, causing him to spittle up blood. "You should've been the one who died!" she yelled, ready to strike again. She would have used this next hit to cave his skull in(not really, but a simulation of the pain she wanted to cause him) had Yomo not roughly pulled her off of the boy.

Now kicking violently at the floored Kaneki, as Eto carefully helped kaneki to sit up, her eye's scornfully looking at Touka, but Touka couldn't give two shits what Eto thought at this point, she wanted fuck him up and if not physically, emotionally. "You're not welcome here, you fucking Frankenstein rip-off!" she yelled, now spouting mindless insults at the wounded college student. "You're as much to blame as the fucking doves!"

And, even as Renji wrestled her out of the room, her screams of venom echoed through the hall, though muffled, only amplifying her anger. A short silence settled after that, then the sounds of a door roughly opening and closing, then breaking china.

Now, in the break room where the rest of them had congregated, they all had eye's glued to the door.. expecting Touka to march back in any minuet now... she never did. Eto's father, sadly, looked back to her daughter and Kaneki, a noticable look of disappointment on his worn face. "Eto... Kaneki, I do believe you two should go on back home... we'll calm down Touka."

* * *

Eto and Kaneki sat together in the living room now, facing one another, Eto cleaning the wounds left by Touka's assault carefully. The author had to admit, upon closer inspection, the teen had done more than she had thought with just two punches. She had been out of line in laying hands on Kaneki, someone she could easily decimate if she wished, but not only had she done that, she'd emotionally and mentally attacked him as well.

Telling him that he should have died instead of Ryouko, that he was a monster... It pissed Eto off, which was a normally hard thing to do. She couldn't quite explain it... it wasn't a maternal feeling... but something different, but she was overly protective of the new hybrid. It made her feel uncomfortable... but she also loved being around him, her tendency to share a bed with him was proof of that.

Kaneki winced in pain as she dabbed a soaking rag on one of Kaneki's swells, letting out a hissing sound as he reeled back.

"Oh, come on..." she giggled, "It can't sting **that **much." she then playfully jabbed at the same wound, teasing him.

"No... you're right, keep going." Kaneki said, his voice low... not quite the shy tone he normally had but a dejected one. Eto knew why.

"Is what Touka said bothering you?" she asked, her voice turning from playful, to slightly worried. Kaneki didn't need any emotional abuse right now, even though it had been a few weeks since he'd become a half-ghoul. Eto didn't know what a **transition **of species felt like, but she had to imagine that it was less than helpful on ones mental state. She could never **hate **Touka, but she was fairly pissed at her for doing what she did to Kaneki. "You know she's only mad, everyone else was glad you didn't interfere."

"No," Kaneki somewhat laughed, "I'm sure they would have much rather seen Hinami's mother telling them **I** died instead of her. After all... Touka is right, it is my fault." He then, tentatively rubbed one of his bruises with two fingers. "In all honestly, I deserve much worse than this..."

Eto frowned, she didn't like seeing Kaneki like this, the transition was much to tragic... from a small nerdy college student who loved to read(her works in particular) to a self loathing, depressed boy who somewhat wished his own death. She didn;t know what exactly she found more disturbing, the look on his face when he spoke, or how familiar it all was to her.

"Maybe I-"

Eto didn't let him finish, she didn't want to hear him blame himself for Ryouko's death, nor did she wan't to hear his depressed tone anymore. The author then pinned him, gently, yet forcefully, to the couch that he sat on, and sat on his lap. "That's enough... don't talk like that..." She said, with a happy voice... a tiny bit of sadness escaping her voice. "What is that going to solve for you? It's just feeling sorry for yourself... Personally, I don't think what you did was wrong, nor do you deserve what you're doing to yourself. But, since you do feel this way, you need to know that, though tragic, these things happen, and blaming yourself is only going to make it worse." She said, her voice growing into a whisper with every word, and her face gradually getting closer to his until they were only inches away from one another.

Kaneki's eyes had grown wide, and his cheeks were now visibly red, his mouth slightly parted giving him the look of a surprised toddler. It also became apparent to Eto of the position they now held, however she could care less, in fact she wanted to break the damn tension and get it over with, it was quite obvious to herself what she wanted, it was time to quit playing stupid and just admit it all ready.

Kaneki was at first surprised at Eto's sudden action, he didn't know why she did this, but he knew... it wasn't something he disliked and he suddenly found himself warming to it. Eto had taken it upon herself to press her lips unto his own, in a soft, caressing way. Kaneki, prompted by a primal lust, pressed back gently, causing the lips to make a smacking sound. Eto then took her mouth and placed his lower lip in between her own, forcing him to take her upper lip.

In an almost comedic way, Kaneki began, perversely and uncharacteristically, wondering if there would be tongue. Though, his question was answered, somewhat reluctantly as Eto broke the embrace of lips. She now looked down upon him, a slight smile on her dace her cheeks light red, with what was not embarrassment, but rather pleasure, but he was sure his was ten times redder.

"Feel better?" she asked, a little smugly.

"I..." A million things were dancing in Kaneki's mind now, questions that begged answers... But out of all those questions he choose one. "What now?"

"Now..." Eto grunted out, as she got off Kaneki, and stood up above him, "we go to sleep... I know it's still early, but I'm tired..." She now stretched.

Once again Eto had awestruck him, she'd just kissed him, and now she acted just as she had before this happened, laid back, as opposed to Kaneki who's heart was beating like a drum.

"Come on... you need some sleep too..." She commented, grabbing him by the wrist, gently and helping him up.

* * *

Hide sat down on a flight of three stairs, a soft drink in one hand, and his phone in the other, cycling through different songs, hoping to find one he hadn't heard too much for it to become white noise to him. He'd stayed up late tonight, it was already dark. He'd gone by Kaneki's new place, the one he shared with that author girl that he so adored. _What was her name, again? Sen tatski?... Whatever. _

But, yes, the blond had tried to pay a visit to Kaneki and that woman, who he had ever so defensively stated that he was **not **intimate with, but they weren't home... or they didn't answer. Kaneki and he, though hanging out occasionally, hardly ever sw one another anymore... though, Hide figured that was his own fault... It had been about a week since the incident with Nishiki had occurred, and even though he had suffered a concussion that day, he remembered quite vividly what he saw and heard... The long and short of it... Kaneki was a ghoul.

At first, the blond was terrified, imagine being that close to a ghoul your entire life, and not even knowing it, Kaneki could have killed him without a sweat... But that was the key word: **could**, he could have, but he didn't. Kaneki had fought to protect Hide... at first he thought it may have been the act of fending off competitors from a food source, but that wasn't the case, as Kaneki made no attempts to try and attack him at all... In fact, it seemed Kaneki wanted to avoid people... Was it a fear that he'd snap and eat them? Was it a fear of being discovered? But even that didn't make sense... Kaneki was 19 years old, as old as him, the chances of him not being able to control himself were low.

Which made Hide think, as preposterous as it seemed, was Kaneki turned into a ghoul? His behavior had started not long ago, in fact right after the hospital... W_as that girl..._

His thoughts were interrupted as a rather large man in a snow white suit walked from behind him, catching the blonde off guard, followed by four more people. One of the quad was almost as big as the white suited man, while the other three wore different colored, numbered hoods. If they noticed them at all none of them showed it, in fact they seemed to just be minding their own buisiness at the moment. But still... Hide couldn't help but feel... nervous as they faded from view.


	8. Fight Like A Ghoul

For once since the incident with the steel beams, and his transformation into a half-ghoul, Ken Kaneki had a pleasant dream. Not to say his dreams were particularly horrifying nor were they unpleasant(not to say he didn't experience those either), but he'd never quite had one that he particularly enjoyed. It was warm, comforting, like a trip to the beach during the summer season, or a warm bed holding him in it's clutches. It was a shame that he could hardly remember it when he woke up...

Kaneki's eye's rose a quarter of the way to their full reveal, then closed once more, then opened, trying to wake his brain up with images of the real world and not some dream. Kaneki had a thin lipped smile on his face, he didn't know why, and he didn't particularly care either, he was simply **warm**, so warm. It then dawned on the hybrid that there was a weight, however wide on his body. It wasn't a blanket or quilt, no, it was a living breathing, **warm** weight... A weight named: Eto.

Kaneki's mind was suddenly filled with the events of the past night, Eto's bandaging of him, leading to a warm kiss, then to Kaneki returning the lip lock, then them going to the bedroom... to 'sleep'. Kaneki honestly didn't remember what kind of 'sleeping' the new couple(he supposed) did last night, as due to the rush of adrenaline and a light headed feeling falling upon him from Eto mashing lips with him... that... or he had a concussion from Touka's fists. Though Kaneki, quite obviously, was a virgin, so(though inexperienced) he was fairly certain that he'd remember his first time.

Suddenly, the sleeping author lying on top of him began to stir awake, lightly groaning, a subconscious way for her body to tell her to go back to sleep. Lazily, lashed lids flutter in front of a green eye, waking up the brain in a similar fashion to Kaneki's, and yielding the same result. Eto, letting out a tired, and admittedly seductive, groan pushed herself up off Kaneki, using thin arms and shook her green haired head, her body's traditional attempt in waking itself up.

She looked up at the boy laying down under her, a red cheeked expression on a rather innocent face, look of curiosity in his eye's... She couldn't help but smile, he was adorable... but not quite in a brother, or pet, or child like way, but rather something more-so than that. Eto, unlike Kaneki, fell asleep and woke up remembering vividly the oral show of affection that they held last night. To her, they way it went down was almost cheesy, but that didn't really matter to her at the moment...

"Good morning." She chimed, a tired smile appearing on her face, not a hint of an awkward feeling on it.

Kaneki was almost dumbstruck, he found it odd, she was saying 'good morning' to him as if nothing had happened. Did she forget? Did she even do it at all?... Had Touka hit him **that **hard? However, Kaneki once again found himself breathless as the woman sitting on him brought down her lips to meet his once more, just as she did last night, however this time less forceful and more of a greeting.

"G-good morning..." Kaneki replied back, mono-tone in his reply, as his face grew burgundy.

* * *

That day, after Kaneki had gotten out of bed and gone to work(despite Eto's protests and warnings about Touka being there) the day had moved rather uneventfully and the hybrid felt completely out of it. So now he found himself in the coffee bean room, holding a can of espresso beans in his left hand and wearing an open-mouthed look of stupidity on his face. He'd forgotten why he was up here, in fact he'd forgotten who'd sent him up here.

Then he'd realized... his body must have gone into some sort of auto-pilot while he replayed the kiss he and Eto shared in his mind. It was almost embarrassing, he was probably acting like a fool in front of everyone because he'd gotten a kiss from a girl(though, said girl was his idol, but still). Ken then looked up, as if coming out of a trance, shook his head once, trying to wake up his mind, which had reached a high of some sort, and promptly turned for the door. However, as he opened it, a small, raven haired girl stumbled forward, giving out a surprised yelp as her hand gripped for a moving nob and she lost her balance.

Touka, plummeted right onto Kaneki, leting out a rather boyish 'oof' sound and promptly bounced right off, landing flat on her ass. Kaneki would have laughed, had he not feared a second beating from the female ghoul, so instead he fearfully apologized.

"S-sorry!" He almost yelped aloud, as he backed away fearfully.

However, instead of trying to hit him, scold him, hell even spit at him, Touka began rubbing her arm slowly, making a less than pleasured face at the sensation and muttering the words 'ow'. Well, 'mother-fucking shit that hurts' was more like it, but Kaneki preferred 'ow'. Upon closer examination, he realized he saw the trickling of blood running down her upper arm, dampening the white vest under shirt, gibing it a brownish hue.

"T-Touka!" he quietly exclaimed, "Y-your arm! I'm sorry..!" he said kneeling down next to her, ready to treat the wound. However, Touka replied to this act of kindness by pushing him away, causing her self even more pain. "Back off, shit-head" She hissed through pained, gritted teeth, "You didn't do this, it was my own fault..." With that she stood up, still clutching her arm tightly and looking down at him as he stood back up himself.

"Koma sent me up here to get **you**." Kaneki noticed how she spat the word 'you' with venom. "You've been up here for 30 fucking minuets, what are you doing? beating off?"

Kaneki, scared of being labeled as some kind of pervert, was quick to defend himself. "N-no! I-I was just-"

"I don't care what you were doing, just stop being so fucking useless all the damn time." She spat, looking down upon him with hateful, dark eyes. "Anyway's get down stairs, Koma is ready for those beans..." With that she began too take her leave, almost stomping her way out of the room. Still, despite her hateful, scorning words, Kaneki knew he had to say something.

"Touka, you should really let someone treat that... I don't know if ghoul's get infections, but if they do-" He only got that far before Touka pinned him against the coffee shelves, forearm against his throat, pushing tightly.

"I said: it's none of your **fucking **business!" She angrily spat, through grinding teeth, "Now, leave me the fuck alone, or I'll kick your ass again!"

"**Touka!**" boomed a loud, commanding voice from behind them, causing them booth to look. There, half turned their way, was Eto's father, more than a little displeased with Kaneki's assailant, as shown by the expression on his face. The wrinkles morphed into downward angled lines, amplifying his frown and his normally closed eye's were also angled in a rather annoyed way.

"Dammit..." Touka muttered, as she released the almost chocking Kaneki to the floor ground, but not before pushing slightly on his neck as she began walking out once again. Kaneki couldn't help but notice the managers disapproving gaze as she did so, however, which came as a surprise, during his time at Anteiku, he'd seen nothing but a happy old man, so seeing him be so cold was... off putting.

Finally, when Touka was out of ear shot, Kaneki found his voice and began to speak. "Touka, needs her arm looked at... It's bleeding, and will probably get infected if it goes without treatment..." There was then a definite silence as the manager overlooked Kaneki, his face softening into something akin to sadness.

"I'm well aware of that..." He responded, almost reluctantly all the while still maintaining eye-contact with Kaneki.

"Then, why don't you-"

"Because she needs to learn her lesson..." the old ghoul replied before Kaneki could even finish. "Yesterday, during the evening, after you and Eto went home, Touka took it upon herself to try and take revenge for Hinami... She suffers that wound because of it." He pause, looking down, face filled with regret. "She put the shop at risk and acted alone. So now, she must deal with it alone."

Another long silence befell them, and Kaneki began gripping the beans in frustration, almost denting the can. "I don't understand..." Kaneki began, looking down at his feet, "I thought Anteiku was here to help ghouls."

To this Yoshimura sighed, and began to go into detail. "We are, but when ghouls get involved with doves we cannot allow ourselves to be apart of it, lest we risk discovery. Anteiku alone cannot oppose the full brunt of the 'nest'." He paused then looked at Kaneki, slightly opening his eye's, "Besides, it was a selfish act in the first place, whether she lives or dies should be no concern to anyone else..."

"I see you've already made up your mind about this..." Kaneki said, looking at him sternly. "But, I can't do that, after all I'm kind of indebted to all of you... When I was a human you could've eaten me, but you chose not to... It may just be my luck in running into you when you weren't particularly hungry, but still... That, and you **all **took me in, no questions, gave me a place to live and went out of your way for me... So, until I can see the rest of the ghoul world beyond Anteiku, I'm going to help anyone I can." With that Kaneki walked past the elderly ghoul and down the stairs, coffee beans clutched tightly.

Yoshimura was alone now, standing in the same position he had taken during his talk with Kaneki. He let the young man's words dance in his mind, floating there, being analyzed, until... he smiled. "You do that then, Ken Kaneki..."

* * *

Touka sat outside Anteiku, wrapping her wound with some bandages, and pulling tightly, to ensure the pressure would stop the bleeding. She hated feeling helpless like this, especially when it was her fault... The thought of that man's face, his sadistic look, the laugh he gave when he ran the bony appendage through her arm, it haunted her... she never knew until that day... just how terrifying a human could be.

Suddenly, the back door of the restaurant crept open, making a slight wail as it moved on slightly rusted hinges. Touka didn't look up, she didn't need too, she knew who it was... she knew **exactly **who it was. She wanted him to leave, but to be honest she didn't have the energy to chew him out at the moment so instead she made it simple. "What do you want?"

"I brought treatment for your-"

"I don't need it."

There was a tense silence now, as the two stayed the way they were, Touka stubbornly looking away and Kaneki stubbornly remaining there. Finally, annoyed by it all Touka spoke. "You really want to help me?" she asked, slightly smiling. Kaneki said nothing. "Kill them..."

"Who-"

"The doves..." she paused, "Kill them in my place... You have Rize's kagune so that means you have a chance right? I mean, look what you did to Nishiki..." She looked up at Kaneki curious as to his reaction... as she expected... he was sweating, his face was red with worry and his eyes were wide. She scoffed. "You can't can you?" ,she looked back down to the ground. "There is no way a weak coward like you could kill anyone... not even to** save **a life..." She looked back at him, apathetically, "I also can't have the manager or Yomo do it for me either... I already know that... In fact by doing this I put them in danger..." She paused, smiling a little sadly, "I said you should die, didn't I? Well, I actually think a **murderer **like me should die instead."

There was a tense silence between them, well tense for Kaneki as just last night he said the same thing to Eto... Only now did he realized just how terrible that could make someone feel, the burden someone places on you when they tell you they think that they should die is enough to make even the strongest man break he wondered exactly how Eto felt.

"But, how could **you **understand... after all, you're just a human..."

* * *

Eto rested her couch, the television on simply for background noise, as she was lost im thought about something that troubled her... Kaneki... In fact the boy's well being had been the center of her mind a lot recently, even before the kiss they shared. And, while at first it was just his physical health, his mentality was starting to become worrisome as well. 'It should have been **me **who died, not Mrs. Fueguchi', the way he said that, with such a self loathing, was almost chilling. Was it a notion to suicide? No, but that's what it could eventually turn into, even though for a ghoul suicide is rather difficult by use of physical force... and Eto didn't keep pills of any kind around in the house.

Releasing a soft sigh , Eto opened her eye's. The thought of Kaneki dying was something she almost couldn't bare, over the time they knew each other, Eto had become increasingly attached to him, and she didn't know why. It was almost laughable, here she was, a writer, a person who could decipher the deepest of emotions, and she couldn't do so for herself.

Suddenly, the creaking of the front door sounded, followed by the footsteps of shoes on floor, then the closing of said door slowly. Eto sat up and threw her head back to see a tired looking Kaneki, beginning to take off his black shoes one foot at a time.

"Hello there!' she called, lazily, throwing her arm over the back of the sofa and letting it hang like a noodle. Kaneki looked up, a little startled at the greeting, his gray eye's growing just a little wider. Normally, he would have noticed her, after all, how hard was it to miss a woman like Eto in an empty room, but to be fair he had something gnawing at his thoughts currently...

"Oh, h-hi!" he stammered. Being around the author was getting increasingly nerve racking for him, The way she acted, and talked to him were almost the exact same way she did when they were just at roommate status... though, that made Kaneki happy he supposed. In fact in hindsight the way Eto acted when they were just roommates was something lovers would do... just at the time Kaneki never thought of it that way...

"Touka didn't try to hit you again today, did she?" Eto asked, bringing the rest of her torso back from it's laying down position.

"Huh?" Kaneki asked, a little bit out of it, "Ahhhh, no, she kind of ignored me today..."

The green haired half ghoul smiled at this. "That's good, that means she's in the process of forgiving you..."

"Forgiving..?" Kaneki asked, a little confused. The way the rather moody girl had acted today made it seem like she had no intention of forgiving him. But, then again, the female mind was not his forte...

Eto laughed a little at this, placing her chin on the top of the sofa and grinning. "Yes, she doesn't seem like the type to forgive, does she..?" Eto trailed off focusing on Kaneki. "Come here," she then curved a finger towards herself twice and grinned, "I want to see something."

Kaneki was kind of reluctant to get close to Eto, considering her tendency to grab him, but lately, he'd been enjoying the feeling of being held close to her. So he obeyed. Kaneki trudged over to her, he was more tired than even he thought, his shoulders slumped, he felt heavy, and his eye's threatened to shut tight. _You know, I could fall asleep right now... _The artificial hybrid thought as he reached the edge of the couch and looked down at Eto and, as he expected, she grabbed him, but what he did **not **expect was for her to kiss him.

Eto smiled as Kaneki let out a muffled surprised gasp when their lips touched, though he might as well get used to it because she was going to do it a lot. Then, Eto wrapped her arms around his waist and pulled him over the sofa, having him land on top of her, all the while maintaining the oral show of affection. In fact, she began to push further with the kiss, now working her tongue into hid mouth, pushing past his lips and probing around. Kaneki's mouth, she discovered was warm and begging to become warmer as heated, labored breaths began to pump out of it. He then began to, a bit reluctantly, use his own tongue to push into her mouth.

Now that was a new experience for Eto. The girl was after all a virgin to relationships of any kind(besides friendship of course). She'd never hugged, kissed, or even touched the opposite sex before Kaneki. In fact the only experience she had in the art of showing affection in a more intimate way was reading x-rated books for... research... yes that was the term... research for her own books, which sometimes involved intimacy.

Eto smiled then, without breaking the interlocking of lips, and the gripped his hands and place them on her waist. It had always astounded her, how people could get so much pleasure from simply touching lips together and tongue-play. Eto then, not to be out done, pushed in her tongue more forcefully and began to intertwine it with his own. It was kind of like reaching a high, sure they had kissed twice before, but those were much less heated than this.

Finally, reluctantly, Eto broke the embrace and began to laugh. "Wow, Ken, I never figured you to be so good at that..." She said, leaning her forehead into his blushing face, making it all the redder.

"Ahhhh..." he replied, a little more flustered. "E-eto... I have a questioned.

"Oh?" she co'ed, "Whats that, Ken?"

"I wan't to learn... how to fight... As a ghoul"

Eto was taken slightly aback by the sudden question, how harshly it deviated from what they just did. It was actually comedic, forcing her to smile more. "Oh, why would you want to do that?" she asked, placing another soft kiss on his lips, which he returned quickly. "I mean, I thought you to be a pacifist."

"I... I am..." He replied, lowly, "But I wan't to be able to help in some way, you know? And besides that I can't rely on people to save me for the rest of my life right?"

Eto looked at him in the eye now, starring at him intently, looking to see if this was what he wanted, or if someone(most likely Touka) was forcing him into it. She was surprised to see though, that he was **determined**. "Is this what you really want?" she asked softly, showing that she was taking him seriously.

Kaneki was silent for a while, his lips tightening as well as his hands, until he finally spoke once more. "I-I'm sure..."

It was now Eto's turn to be silent, she tilted her head at him as they looked at one another, Kaneki, clearly determined to get stronger, Eto, not quite wanting to introduce him to violence. She looked almost sadly at him now, like she was going to lose her hold on him if he learned how to fight... Until... she caved.

"Ok... tomorrow, after work, stay after and we'll begin..." She said, looking up at him with a smile.

"**We'll?**" He asked, surprised.

"You don't think I can fight?" She asked, almost laughing, though it was an inside joke on her part and a rather dark one, considering her violent past.

"No, I just... didn't think I'd be fighting my girlfriend..."

Eto smiled at that, and then pulled him closer, to whisper in his ear, "You mean; 'getting my ass kicked by my girlfriend'." This earned a small, light chuckle from Kaneki, who looked away in embarrassment...

"Yeah, most likely."

* * *

**The Next Day/Evening.**

Kaneki stood by the door of the now closed coffee shop, alone. All other employee's had gone home, apart from Hinami and Touka who used the upstairs as a home, but by now they were both in bed. In fact, Hinami hadn't left her room all day, it was becoming incredibly worrisome for the shop. On rare occasions she could be heard whimpering in her room, repeating the words 'mother' and 'father' between them. It was an all too familiar experience for Kaneki... When his mother died and... **that woman**... adopted him, he hadn't spoken a word for about a month, nor had he gone to school. While Hinami didn't attend learning centers of any kind, cooping ones self up in a room alone was not healthy, and they needed to get her out of there.

Then, distracting Kaneki from his thoughts, the tapping of feet was heard coming down the street. The student lifted his head up to see a silhouette, feminine shaped with long hair flowing down behind her. Kaneki hardly needed to see beyond the silhouette to know who it was, who else would be walking down the street to a coffee shop this late at night?

As the silhouette formed into a person, Kaneki's suspicion was confirmed, it was Eto and, slung over her left shoulder, was a black workout bag. "Sorry, I'm late, Kaneki..." she said a familiar tired grain in her voice, "I overslept."

Kaneki smiled and placed a single hand on the back of his head and let out a nervous laugh, "T-that's fine..." He said, shaking a bit... he was beginning to think that maybe this wasn't such a great idea... but... he had to do it if he wanted to be able to protect himself... and Anteiku.

Now, after trekking down, deep into the basement of Anteiku, Eto and Kaneki stood in a wide, circular arena, with many tunnels diverging from it. Kaneki couldn't help but gawk at the size, and how well built it looked... it reminded him of a bomb shelter, built some-time after world war 2 when America unleashed the first atomic bomb upon japan. However, despite his interpretation of it, he still had to ask: "What is this place?"

"This..." Eto replied as she set the gym bag on the floor, "Is a tunnel system crafted decades ago by the ghouls of Tokyo... It was used as an easy escape from the doves and only Ghouls know how to navigate it... I've used it once or twice before during my... more rebellious years..." She added on, more to herself than Kaneki... "Anyways, are you ready?" she asked, pushing her arms out back and leaning forward, creating loud pops as she hummed in satisfaction.

It was only just now that Kaneki realized... Eto was wearing normal clothing, tennis shoes, a t-shirt, and shorts, no workout gear, no gloves, hell even her hair was laying loose. Which begged the question: what was in the bag? Kaneki decided to probe into it. "A-almost..." he stammered, pointing at the bag, "But aren't you going to change into some clothes more suited for exercise?"

Eto merely giggled at the insinuation, then, sighed. "No, because, quite frankly, you aren't even going to give me a work out..." she said, almost boastfully.

Kaneki frowned, that stung a little, but nevertheless he decided to ask more questions. "Ok... then why bring a bag?"

"This?" she asked, glancing down at the black bag that rested next to her feet, "This is for bandaging you up afterwords..."

Kaneki began to sweat coldly, a sharp contrast to his now heating body. It felt weird to him though, here they were about to throw fists, not out of some relationship dispute, nor out of spite but rather to make him stronger. It was an odd thing for them to be doing considering their relationship... But then, their relationship wasn't really normal to begin with...

"Are you ready?" she asked again, this time sweetly, accompanying it with a kind smile, which reassured Kaneki.

"Ah, yeah-"

He couldn't say anything past that, because in nearly the blink of an eye, Eto had rushed up and delivered an underhanded blow into his stomach.

All the wind evacuated his lungs like birds when a gun fired his mouth formed into an 'O' shape. his pupils shrunk and his body lurched forward violently, sending blood out through his mouth. Eto watched as her boyfriend fell back unto the ground and his head smacked into the concrete violently. She'd floored him with a single hit... She didn't want to bask in victory, nor did she want to gloat, the only thing she could think about is how much she didn't want to do this.

Kaneki was fairly certain that he no longer had a stomach, where he once felt nothing he felt a drill that slowly dug deeper and deeper into him. He sprawled out on the floor, hoping to catch some air, any air that would flow into his lungs, but no matter how many times he inhaled, he felt it made no difference. Slowly, however, he began to feel the air flowing again, and sat up, albeit in a considerable amount of pain, to see Eto leaning down over him, one eye Kakugan glowing.

"You don't seem to feel threatened..." she commented looking down at him. She then gently grabbed his index finger pulled on it slightly... "Let's change that..." then, with a simple flick of her hand, Kaneki found his finger stretched over the back of his hand to the point where he could feel it touching the skin. Then, a little stalled, Kaneki let out an animalistic, purely pain driven scream, which made Eto mentally apologize... but she had to push him further...

Kaneki had taken to falling on his back for support to hold his now throbbing finger, it felt like a million bee's stinging him at the same time. Fresh tears flowed from his eye's, tears of pain, and he bit his lip to stifle his screams of agony. _Dammit, what was I thinking? I can't do this... I'm to weak. _Though, his thoughts were interrupted when Eto once again hovered over him, her face now resembling a bit of pain herself.

"I see you still feel safe..." she said as a wavy, multicolored wing grew from behind her right shoulder blade... "Let's change that..."

Three shards flew from her wing, heading towards Kaneki's chest. It was perhaps the most anxious moment Kaneki had ever experienced so far, he forgot where he was for a moment... He forgot his intamacy with Eto, and forgot even who she was, in fact he'd only regained his memory when a pair of red tentacles had appeared before his eye's intercepting the shards , only inches away from his chest.

There was a tense moment of silence then, as Kaneki stared onto the red appendages as they began to dissipate into thin air. _A-Again? _He asked, pain forgotten, and mouth slightly agape. _Is this what Eto was trying to do, bring these tentacles out? _He asked, as they finally, along with Eto's shards, dissipated completely.

"So Touka was right..." Eto said aloud, looking at Kaneki with sorrowful eyes. "You **do **have Rize's Kagune..."

Kaneki then remembered his finger and began groaning in pain, staring at it's awkward position. Though the pain had dulled compared to the initial breaking of it, it still stung like a bitch, and unbearably so.

Eto knelt down in front of Kaneki, an apologetic smile on her face. "Sorry, here let me fix it for you..." she said gently as she lightly grabbed his finger. "This... is going to hurt a lot." She said as she slightly tightened her own fingers around it.

"W-wait!"

Too late, a snap was heard, then a searing pain felt, and finally another yell of agony.

"... Why don't we call it a night?"

* * *

They were now in the main part of Anteiku, the lights were off, it was quiet, and one could see cars pass by, going most likely home after a hard day. Kaneki scoffed, he figured no one's day was as hard as his own today... well, except for maybe one, but practically all her days were hard now. He was talking about Hinami, the little girl had gotten into his mind again, even with the throbbing in his finger... He wished there should be something he could do to make her cheer up if even a little.

But, yes, now, apart from the two girls sleeping above them, it was just Kaneki and Eto in the coffee shop, the latter of which was busy brewing them coffee. Kaneki had offered to do so, but Eto wouldn't accept it, she thought it was the least she could do for breaking his finger like that. Speaking of said coffee, Kaneki was shaken from his thoughts when Eto rested two cups on the table he now sat at.

"Here..." she said, kindly, as she took a seat. "I'm sorry I went so rough out there, I just needed to know if you actually could use that Kagune or not... Touka said something about it, but I wanted to see it for my self..."

Kaneki grinned, he didn't blame Eto at all, he figured it was his fault anyway, after all, he insisted on trying to learn how to fight. "Well, at least I know it wasn't a one time thing." He said, trying to hide the fact that his finger, besides being in a small metal cast, was still stabbing him. Eto had said something about it being healed by the morning, but he wanted to see **that** for himself.

Which brought him to a different subject now... Eto's strength... Yes, all ghouls were strong, but Eto... she made Nishiki look like a 5 year old with that punch, and that speed, it was almost beyond the realms of reality, what she did with a few movements. It was funny though, normally the male of the relationship was the one with the strength.

Suddenly, a knock on the door rang through the Coffee shop, prompting both of the ghouls to look over towards the door. Eto sniffed the air once, then sighed happily. "You've got a present..."

"A present?" Kaneki inquired, as his eye's followed her to the door. Eto didn't respond, instead she opened the door to reveal a tattooed man, wearing shades(at night?) and and a beanie. In his bony hands he held a medium sized box and a smile on his face. It was Uta.

"Ah, Kaneki, I know it's late, but I just finished your mask, and I couldn't wait till tomorrow..." He apologized, as he rushed in completely ignoring Eto in his excitement.

"N-no, that's fine, we're out pretty late ourselves." he replied, nodding to Eto.

"Yes, Yes," Uta rushed, "But, go ahead and try it on." He said as he opened the box. Inside was a rather unsettling object. From what Kaneki could tell, it was made out of different types of leather, had two bolts on the side, and... an eye patch? Kaneki reluctantly lifted the facewear out of it's compartment and held it up to examine better.

"Go on, go on, try it on." Said Uta, excitedly.

Kaneki obeyed, slowly slipping it on. As it grazed his face he noticed the calming smell of leather and it's cool feeling dance on his skin, but as calming as it was, it made him feel strangely lively like he could jog a mile right now.

Uta stepped back, admiring his work. Then with a satisfied sigh, he clasped his hands together. "Perfect..."

Eto looked at Kaneki, a little surprised. It was funny, how a mask could change the way one looked. It had transformed Kaneki from a silent boy, to a crazed maniac. On it, it had a hungry, lipless smile, a bolted neck, and an eye patch on his right eye. For once in his life probably, Kaneki looked intimidating.


	9. Kasahara

It had been about 4 days since Eto and Kaneki had started working on the latter's abilities which included strength training, stamina, and pain resistance... the last being the most difficult and most demanding. The stamina is what Kaneki was most excited to do, there was no fighting or breaking of bones, just them running at night. But, Kaneki had insisted that they should work on his fighting ability, as it seemed he could only currently use his kagune when his body thought he was in danger. And, despite her being his girlfriend, Eto was surprisingly brutal when they trained, but thanks to that, the flab that rested on Kaneki's small body had begun to harden. It wasn't muscle, but he was less mushy now, so that was improvement, in fact Eto had mock complained that she couldn't squeeze him anymore.

Speaking of Eto, she had requested that Kaneki not mention their relationship to anyone, not even his co-workers. At first he'd thought that she was embarrassed of him, but that was soon proven to be false as she'd willingly show affection to him in public. In fact, due to Kaneki's probing she'd revealed it to be a rather simple reason: she was afraid of her father making a big deal over it. Kaneki had learned that he and Eto were alike in terms of relationships as this was a first for both of them, but for entirely different reason's. Kaneki, by women, had always been looked upon as the wimpy reader kid, sure some had a bit of interest in him at the beginning, but it gradually died off due to him not making any moves. How could he though? Women were complicated creatures and the male psyche was pretty straight forward. No, Hide was the womanizer of the two.

Eto's reason was just the opposite of his, she was sought after by many men, ghoul and human alike, but she honestly never felt a bond with any of them. It came as flattering to Kaneki, when she told him that he was pretty much the first person she'd ever thought of in that light, it made him feel happy, to be needed. She didn't need any thing such as flowers nor did she need any sort of materialistic show of affections, in fact she got it through her own means, cuddling, kissing, and holding him. She, to Kaneki's observations, preferred to be the dominate in the relationship, and Kaneki had no qualms about that.

Today was also Kaneki's day off, and Eto had drug him down to the coffee shop of all places, which would have been fine... except for the fact that it was closed today, the only people there were Hinami and Touka. Kaneki had tried to divulge as much information as he could from her, but she refused to tell him anything else, however Eto had always been rather random, so Kaneki had thought nothing of it. This morning, in fact, she'd taken the liberty to ruffle his hair into a style that looked akin to Hide's, in fact, he looked almost completely different his normal self.

The author then gently knocked on the door of the shop, alerting Touka to her visitors. The couple waited a few minutes before they heard a series of clicking, a sharp tink, and the creaking of the door as it opened, revealing a tired looking Touka, her bed head apparent.

"Hello, Touka!" Eto called, looking at her with happy eyes. Eto and Touka heavily contrasted, Eto, with that bun hair that she so favored a baggy, green, dress-like article of clothing draped over her, in a lazy, but appropriate way, along with those big red glasses. Touka on the other hand wore a loose white T-shirt, that looked two sizes to large, and a pair of shorts, that also looked incredibly big on her.

"Uhhh, hey..."she replied, one eye struggling to stay open, and her voice deep with exhaustion.

"Do, you have it?" Eto inquired, leaning towards the high-school student with intrigue.

It took Touka's brain a moment to recall what the author was talking about, as she looked at her with a dumbfounded look, her mouth slightly open in confusion. But, eventually, she remembered.

"Oh, right!" she said, fully waking up now, "I-I'll be right back!" with that she ran back upstairs, leaving the door open for the couple to enter.

Kaneki, still half asleep himself, found refuge in a booth as he sat down on it roughly and rested his head tiredly in his hands. Truth be told, Kaneki loved waking up this early, he loved the morning soon, he loved the feel of his body waking up, and he loved the slight shudders he got as the blood began pumping faster. Eto sat down next to him and sighed happily, throwing her arms high in the air.

Kaneki was surprised when she then laced her fingers with his, where their body's touched at the hips. Kaneki felt his face light up and he noticed, for someone with skin that could stop a knife, that Eto's hand's were very soft and warm, she then leaned her head slightly on his shoulder and smiled. "Are you tired Kaneki?" she asked, with a low grainy voice filled with her own exhaustion.

"S-somewhat..." Kaneki replied, enjoying the touch, "But, what exactly are we doing here?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Hmmm, you'll find out soon enough." she said, as she lifted her head, and unlaced Kaneki's fingers at the sound of Touka's footsteps coming down the stairs. In her hand's she held a boy's school uniform. It was a blazer, accompanied with a white undershirt and red plaid pants. This served only to confuse Kaneki, it was clearly meant for him, but for the purpose he didn't know... was Eto some kind of weird kink?

"Here..." She said, rubbing some sleep out of her visible eye. "I hope you know how hard this was for me to get." she said looking towards the college student. "And how I would have been labeled had I been caught..."

"Ah, yes, Touka," Eto chimed in snatching the uniform from her and throwing it towards Kaneki, who caught it rather ungracefully, "but, this is all for Hinami, so don't be too mad." She then looked to Kaneki, "Go change into that, then we can go to our next stop."

* * *

After the two had left, Touka sighed, she was still tired even after going to bed with Hinami early. Eto, a few days prior, had told her to steal a uniform from her high school for Kaneki, the plan was that she and him would pose as student and teacher, then give the CCG false information on Hinami's whereabouts and get them away from the 20th ward. _The hope in their plan is giving Hinami some room to breath in the 20th ward, and eventually hope that they will give up on finding her._

Touka sighed once more, then trudged back up to her room, last night she'd had to sleep with Hinami, because she'd said the first thing she heard from her in about a week: "I don't want to die..." and then she started crying, without any warning, whe wouldn't calm down unless Touka was there with her, not that it was any problem. She just hoped this plan of Eto's bore fruit... for Hinami's sake.

* * *

Eto and a now very nervous Kaneki stood under the towering CCG 20th ward main office, Kaneki visibly expressing that he did **not **want to go inside. It was funny though, Has he still been human he would have felt more safe here than anywhere else in the ward, surrounded by trained investigators, that would have been protection... now all that meant to him was a painful beheading...

Eto simply hummed a tune as the two neared the entrance, the author practically dragging him by his thin wrist. Kaneki was confused by how she could be so calm, she was also a half-ghoul, but she walked into this place like one would a super market, but then what would one expect from her? She was never one to take anything to seriously. Suddenly a light, welcoming bell chimed, and in stepped the undercover couple, Kaneki forcing himself to act normal, and Eto acting as if she'd gone here on a regular basis.

"Hello!" She sung happily as she and Kaneki walked to the front desk, him still shaking slightly, uncomfortably, feeling kind of naked in the environment. He was surrounded by people who wanted him dead and then some, and what could he do if they figured out he and Eto were ghouls? Eto could probably take them, but Kaneki would be fucked.

"Oh, hello." The receptionist replied in kind, "Do you two have some information for us?"

"Actually, yes!" Eto replied, pulling Kaneki over to the counter, "I'm a teacher at Kiyomi High School, and this is my student: Nise Hito." She pulled up his shaking arm and waved it for him.

The receptionist nodded, then pulled up a piece of paper with many blanks on it, "Take this, fill out the information, and go sit over there." She said, pointing to a couch, coffee table, and chair.

Eto nodded, "Thank you!"

* * *

Eto and Kaneki found themselves sitting in the same spot for around half an hour, and it only served to make Kaneki more anxious. His legs were rocking, his arms were shaking, and he was sweating bullets, in any other situation it may have been cute, but his physical appearance, the shaking and sweating, would certainly rouse suspicion. So Eto leaned in close to his ear and began whispering words of encouragement. "You're gonna be fine..." She reassured gripping his shirt sleeve, "There is almost a zero percent chance that we'll be found out... and when we're done we can go home and sleep for the rest of the day, just be calm, alright?"

"Y-yeah..." Replied Kaneki, shifting in his spot. He still wasn't to sure about all this, them being discovered was a very likely thing to happen, what if he got hungry again and his left eye changed? Suddenly, a large metal door frame caught his eye, around it was a waist high gate which blocked off any others from entering at a time. Nudging Eto, he asked: "Hey, what's that?" Throwing up a finger.

Eto looked over to where Kaneki motioned to see a large metal scanner. "Oh, That?" She asked, interested, "That's an RC scanner. Remember what I told you about RC cells right? Well humans have invented these to stop ghouls from entering certain establishments, Though, surprisingly it hasn't gotten much funding, and only a hand full of corporations have any."

Kaneki nodded, feeling a fearful lump in his throat. "A-and what if they go global?" He asked, his sweat trailing down his face.

"Well, ghouls will have to retreat back underground... and eventually they may go extinct."

Kaneki's body cooled at the thought, having to hide underground just waiting till you're killed or die of starvation... Kaneki's body had grown used to the sugar cubes, but he'd doubt other ghouls could deal with it. The thought of Eto, Touka, Yoshimura, Koma, and Irimi slowly fading away until their body's were but empty husks, was enough to make him vomit.

Suddenly a light hearted voice chimed out, gaining their attention. "Hello!" it called, the voice of a female with short brown hair, and a happy(but almost stupid) smile, "I'm Ruisawa, I'll be documenting your information and getting it to the proper investigative team." She explained, sitting down on a soft chair and sighing. "Now, what exactly did you two see?"

Before Kaneki could even open his mouth, Eto spoke up. "Oh, not me, but my student over here, Nise, said he saw the, or at least what he thought the description was, 'Daughter' ghoul. You see, we were on a field trip the other day, and he claimed to see her near another school, I believe it was Kasahara elementary, right Nise?" Eto asked, nudging his arm, prompting him to furiously shake his head.

"Y-yeah, and her clothing was... was really tattered, kind of like wet paper..." He added, hoping to make the story more believable, at the same time getting what Eto's game was. _Kasahara is near the border of the 20th ward, right? I see now, Eto is trying to lead them off Hianmi's case. _

The woman, Ruisawa, was furiously scribbling down information on her clip board, every once in a while nodding and humming her understanding. "I see, I see..." She replied, "Is there any other information you'd like to tell me?"

"Yeah, Nise, Is there?" Eto chimed in, teasingly.

"A-ah, no, that- that's it..." Kaneki replied, nervously.

Ruisawa nodded curtly, giving a kind smile, then, almost eagerly, standing up. "Well, I go give the report to the higher up's, thank you for the information." But, just as she turned, Eto spoke up, stopping her in her tracks.

"But... Isn't it kind of sad?" she asked, looking at her with kind eye's, "I mean: killing someone so young, it's a bit depressing no?"

Ruisawa stopped for a bit, looking down, but then gave a happy smile. "Oh no, Ghouls aren't human, and they eat us, so it's only natural for us to destroy them."

The reaction was such a dark one for such a kind woman, but then again Kaneki would have thought the same thing before he'd become a ghoul so he couldn't complain, but still, hearing that his heart dropped. Eto simply smiled, however, and said, "Yeah, I suppose you're right."

* * *

In the end the had ended up talking to that woman for 20 more minutes, before she decided it was time to turn in the report, leaving Eto and Kaneki to make their own way out, which was no problem, in fact Kaneki welcomed leaving the place. Even after Eto's words of encouragement, he was still shaking. But, as if the universe wanted to make him suffer, they were stalled yet again.

Kaneki had bumped into a man, his hair white as the tiles on the floor, his form hunched over, and his face contorted into a crazed smile. It was that man, Kaneki came to realize, the man that beheaded Ryouko right before his eyes. His first instinct was not to be angry, not even to scowl, but rather nervously back up and apologize, "S-sorry."

Then man looked at him, his face one of confusion as he studied him. For a second he even looked normal... Up until the point a sadistic smile spread across his face.

"Oh no, my boy," he said kindly, "it's all my fault... But I see that you are in a school uniform, may I ask what you are doing here at this time?"

Kaneki began to sweat, millions of thoughts ran through his mind all at once. _No, we've been found out! I- I'm gonna die! We should run. God I don't want to die, not yet._

The thoughts formed into a jumble of words foaming out of his mouth. "I-I, we, just, here..." And, seeing his discomfort, Eto broke into the conversation. "Oh," she began, pulling Kaneki close to her, "You see, Nise here believes he saw the 'Daughter' ghoul recently and we came to inform about it."

"And who are you, exactly?" He asked, with annoyance and curiosity.

"Oh me, I'm his teacher, Ms. Kuragi." She said, laying a curved hand onto her upper chest.

The man simply nodded smiling, and began dancing his fingers on his steel briefcase. "Well, Ms. Kuragi, don't you think it would be an informative experience for this young man to be toured around his home wards Ghoul protection establishment?" He inquired, leaning close to Eto, who simply smiled in reply.

"Well, actually, that would be a good idea... Would **you **be so kind as to show us around, Mr..?" Eto trailed off, prompting the man to give his last name.

"Mado," he finished for her, "Kureo Mado." His lips stretched over his teeth as he repeated the name, making him look almost as frightening as any ghoul Kaneki had come across, and then some. But what frightened him even more was the fact that they were about to embark on a field trip, in a place full of people who wanted their heads on a platter. That and the fact that they were going on one, meant that they would have to walk through that scanner. _Has Eto gone insane? The moment either of us goes through that, we are goners._

"Splendid!" The man chimed, happily, "Then follow me, why don't you?"

Kaneki then found himself being dragged by Eto, towards the RC scanner, his face growing paler every second, the sweat on his skin becoming colder and colder. He was going to die today, he knew it, and what he was even more worried about was Eto's health, she'd die too, and how would that affect the people at Anteiku? Her father especially. No, Kaneki had to stop her, but he couldn't, he was paralyzed with fear. Time slowed, Kaneki's heart stopped beating, and he saw the inside of the metal frame go in front of his face then disappear.

* * *

Kureo frowned, he was almost positive that boy was a ghoul, but the alarm didn't sound, it didn't even peep. The older man then looked back at the two, with disappointment in his eye. Was his intuition growing dull? Or was the machine broken, either way his being wrong caught him off guard.

Suddenly, the teacher, Ms. Kuragi, looked at her watched and slapped her forehead. "Oh, that trip will have to wait it seems, Kureo. I just realized I promised to have Nise here back at school 20 minuets ago!" And with that, she took off, pulling the boy behind her as she faded out the doorway and into the busy street."

"O-ok, then..."

* * *

It was late now, and Kureo along with Koutarou and Nakjima(the partner of the now deceased Kusaba) were down near an artificial river right next to Kasahara elementary, trudging alon searching every nook for a hiding ghoul... to no avail. In fact they'd been walking downwind for a couple of miles now and they'd seen nothing. It was also apparent that the other two were losing confidence in the case. "I'm beginning to think this was just a prank..." Koutarou said, sighing as he looked over to Kureo who was curiously looking around the area. "I mean, kids will say anything for attention. We should probably go back, it's getting late and we're getting nowhere down here."

Kureo looked over to Amon, his underling, who currently wore a bandage over his right eye, caused by his encounter with the rabbit. Underneath it was a black and blue swollen eye. In fact at first Koutarou refused to get it worked on due to some pathetic pride that he had, but soon Kureo had convinced him it would hinder his skills and could cause others to die. He reluctantly obeyed. "You two can go back, but I think I'll be staying here a bit longer... there's something I want to see..."

* * *

Night had fallen over the 20th ward and Kaneki found himself working. An odd thing to do, considering that Yoshimura had decided to day was an off day, but due to a mutual boredom throughout the staff, they decided to just open up late. And, as luck would have it, tonight was turning out to be quite a bust night. The shop was practically full with humans and ghouls a like. Kaneki had come to enjoy that sight, seeing ghouls and humans enjoying like together, it only served to prove what he'd grown to believe, that humans and ghouls can live together, despite the diet difference.

Then, Touka came down from upstairs, newspaper in her hand, and a familiar apathetic look on her face. Then, sighing she plopped herself down on a stool sitting in front of the hybrid and unfolding it. There was a tense moment of silence as Kaneki tried to keep his eye's on other things, he knew Touka didn't particularly like him, and he also knew that she would like nothing more than for him to stop working at Anteiku, but he knew he could some how gain back her trust.

"Hey..." she said, still keeping her eye's on the news paper, flipping through it, causing Kaneki to jump. "I know that it wasn't your plan... and that you were kept in the dark at first... but thanks for helping Hinami out by throwing the doves off course..." She paused. "And... I'm sorry for kicking your ass the other day, I realize that there wasn't much you could do given the circumstances..."

Kaneki was about to say something when Touka spoke again. "Don't say anything... just accept my compliment graciously... I'm not one for this mushy apology bullshit so make it easy for me and just let it happen..."

There was another silence... Kaneki looked down and back up, staring at Touka who remained stationary in her seat. "I-is Hinami doing OK?" He asked, a bit nervously, prompting Touka to move her eye's at him. "I- I heard that she doesn't get much sleep at night... and that she sometimes cry's all night... I just want to know."

Silence.

"She's not sleeping because Eto gave her that damn book... she spends all her time reading it now... because you taught her how." The high school student smiled, standing up. "Let's go check on her..."

Touka knocked on the door to Hinami's room, announcing her presence before entering. "Hinami!" she called. No response... Touka looked at Kaneki, who simply shrugged. Suddenly, rudely, Touka barged in to the room and let out a gasp. Kaneki pushed past her to see what garnered that reaction... soon he let out a similar one. The room was empty... it wasn't a kidnapping, there were no signs of struggle, no... instead there was a single open window, curtains gently blowing in the breeze, swaying like dancing dresses. Hinami had run off.

* * *

Eto was eating, in fact she hadn't been doing that lately, she'd been far to preoccupied with Kaneki. On her plate was an assortment of fingers, the hand they came from, and a couple of eye's. It sounded disgusting, but Eto had been craving this since she woke up, so now she was enjoying herself. As opposed to Hinami, who often used utensils to eat, Eto was a rather messy eater, just using her hands to rip and tare in into the meet... she was alway's a mess at the end, but she cleaned herself the way a stereotypical overweight person would, licking her fingers clean.

Suddenly, interrupting her meal, the phone in her pocket began to vibrate. Eto frowned, couldn't she finish her meal at least? Sighing, she pulled out her phone, studied it the smiled at the caller I.D. _Well, at least it's Kaneki, and not my agent. I swear, he never calls to say 'hi', always book deals with that one. _Then, tapping the green phone logo, Eto put the device to her ear.

"Hell-"

"Eto!" Kaneki called, frantic in his voice and panting, causing Eto to worry.

"Kaneki?" She inquired, worry in her voice as well, though only slightly.

"Hinami's missing, we think she ran off, Touka and I are looking for her, but Touka went ahead... I don't know where either of them are..."

Eto gritted her teeth, _Dammit, Hinami. _She thought as she got up to look for something to put on so she didn't go out in a pajama top and underwear. "Alright, Kaneki, I'll be out there in a minute!"

* * *

Hinami trudged along a man-made river, being careful to keep her feet from getting wet. Here was were the scent was strongest, where it almost overwhelmed her. She couldn't hear, she couldn't see hardly, her mind focused on one thing, _mother..._ That's why she'd left Anteiku, that's why she'd came so far out almost to the edge of the 20th ward, that's why she came down to the river. For mother.

Now the scent was enveloping her nose, and she could tell... underneath this tiny bridge was where mother was. Finally, after all the time they'd been apart she'd finally get to see her again. She thought that her pseudo big brother saw her die, in fact that's what everyone told her, but they must be mistaken, she could smell her mother. Her mother was alive, she had to be, why else would she be smelling her now?

Hinami stepped under the bridge, sniffed the air once, then continued cautiously. "Mother?" she called out, pulling her hands closer to herself, a subconscious way to defend herself from any would be attacker. "Mother where are you? It's me, Hinami..." no response. "Y-you can come out now, I wont hurt you..." No response.

Hinami moved slightly forward, still looking around cautiously, until her bare foot touched a hard, wet object, which rocked back and forth at the touch, slightly tapping her foot back, causing the young brunette to look down. There, at her feet, was her mothers severed a head, a kind smile on her face, and her eye's slightly open.

"M-mother..?"

* * *

Touka ran on the roof of an apartment complex, went airborne for a second or two, then landed on another roof top. Pure anger was pushing her. Not anger at Hinami, nor anger at Kaneki, not anger at anyone but herself. She'd lost Ayato, now she was going to lose Hinami too, the only difference was Ayato can take care of himself, Hinami **can't**. _Dammit, why is it always me? _She thought, in self loathing. _If Hinami leaves... she'll most certainly become like Ayato... or maybe worse... she's been cared for her entire life, meaning she'll be unaccustomed to the cruel way's of the world. Normally it would mean she'd be dead..._ But Eto told Touka something long ago... 'The more used to something someone is, the harder it is for them to cope with losing it, meaning they are vulnerable, but at the same time, those individuals, if pushed to an extremity, can most certainly become something even crueler than the very world we live in'.Eto had told her that when she was younger, and she looked up towards Eto, when she and Ayato both did... She was like... Like how Hinami viewed Touka now. The reason she told her that, is because Touka had asked her what she was like when she was younger... she never quite understood it... but she had a feeling Hinami would end up like that if they didn't find her soon.

Suddenly, a piercing, blood curdling scream tore through the otherwise still night air. The voice was small, light, one of a child. It wasn't the screams of being eaten, nor attacked, but rather... screams of anguish and sadness. Touka knew the voice well. It was Hinami.

The raven haired girl now stood at the entrance to the underway of a small bridge, an artificial river running through it. It was near Kasahara elementary, a school on the border of the 20th ward... but somehow Hinami had made her way here? This is also where Kaneki said they 'claimed' to see her... those investigators must have lured her out here... but how?

Walking in, she immediately spotted Hinami, Sitting against a concrete wall, cradling something in her arms, something large. Touka hardly paid attention to it, she could only feel elation in having found the girl safe. Soon though, she saw what she was cradling, burying her own head into and crying on. It was Ryouko's head, Touka could only think of one thing to say... "Oh God..."

Hinami looked up at Touka, then back to her mother. Touka looked down at her, sadness on her face and her eye's heavy. "Hina..." She began, looking at her. "I... Let's go home... it's cold tonight... you'll get sick..."

"No" she said, abruptly, causing Touka to be quite... "I'm not safe here anymore... It doesn't matter where I go... I'm going to die..." she explained, more to herself than anyone, her voice wavering. "I need to run... far... far away..."

"No..." Touka chimed in, "you will be safe... Eto and Kaneki went to the CCG office here today... they threw them off your trail... besides that they don't even have a picture of you, you'll be fine Hinami..." Touka then pulled her into a tight embrace, holding her as if she was going to merge with her. "And even if they do... I promise I'll protect you, I won't let those bastards hurt you."

There was silence between the two. It was almost deafening to Touka, as she wanted desperately for Hinami to say anything. Until finally, her wish was granted.

"O-ok..."

* * *

Kaneki was still running, he'd been practically all over the 20th ward tonight, thanks to his enhanced speed as a ghoul... and his training with Eto. SPeaking of his girlfriend, where was she, he'd called her a while ago, she should be here by now... perhaps she was off searching elsewhere... Suddenly, Kaneki felt his phone vibrate against his leg, prompting him to stop and take it out... the caller I.D. read: Touka.

hurriedly, the hybrid accepted the call and pressed the phone to his ear. "Hello!? Touka!?"

"Geez... you're so goddamn loud..." Was his reply, causing him to breath a sigh of relief.

"Did you find her?"

"Yeah, she was down by Kasahara... I think they tried to lure her out here, but they must've given up... there were no investigators around when I arrived."

"I see... well-" Kaneki didn't get to finish, as there was a sharp beep and then three loud, annoying alarm like sounds... the call was disconnected... _What the hell? _The hybrid asked himself, pulling his phone down to examine it further. _Oh well, at least Hinami is safe..._

Then another conversation caught his ear, it was coming from a level just below him on the side walk, so(admittedly nosily) he went to take a look. There, standing just below him was an investigator... Not any though, as fate would have it it was one of the investigators who killed Ryouko... The last of the conversation caught his ear. "By Kasahara? She showed up... and the Rabbit? I'm on my way!"

Kaneki felt his heart drop, tonight just wasn't gonna end was it? But still, there were bigger problems than his exhaustion, now an investigator was headed to Touka and Hinami... and only he knew about it... pulling out the leather mask crafted by Uta, Kaneki gulped... He hadn't expected to use it this soon... but he wasn't going to repeat what happened with Ryouko.

* * *

Touka looked at the man with horror, her face noticeably shaken at the sight. Before her stood a man, no a monster, an overjoyed look on his bony, skeletal face, particularly with his overly revealed eye. His hair hung on the sides of his head, swaying slightly in the draft under the bridge.

"It's been a while... Ms. Fueguchi... I was begging to think I'd never see you again." He pulled up a metal case, one of two in fact, "It broke my heart, the thought of not being able to show you my new Toy..."

Hinami shrunk behind Touka, her eyes wide with terror. Touka absent mindedly rested a hand on the younger girls head, trying to calm her.

"Oh and you must be the rabbit, right?" He inquired looking at Touka. "You're awfully pretty for a monster, but I do think you'll make an even prettier quinque, don't you think so?"

Touka stiffened at his insinuation... There was no greater fear for a ghoul than to be made into a weapon used to kill their own kind.

"You fucking bastard..." Touka spat, through gritted teeth, the white of her eye's slowly being encompassed by a black haze.

* * *

Amon stopped, in front of him, blocking his path was a young man, no older than 19, wearing a blue hoodie black jean, and shoes, but more importantly... A mask. Amon's first thougth was that even with the mask, he looked incredibly docile. The mask was odd, one could argue even unconventional. It bore an eye patch, smething that would not be very useful in combat... but then... it was fitting considering his own covering. Regardles though, he was a ghoul... he had to be dealt with.

"I see... he began...just how many does 'Daughter' have?" He asked, flicking a switch on his suitcase, which then, almost impossibly produced a club like weapon. Kaneki had seen it before... when the doves fought against Hinami's mother... luckily he remembered how he swung it, a trait he picked up fighting Eto... if you can telegraph your opponents move's, then you have a shot at winning. That coupled with his ghoul strength gave him an edge... but even so... he didn't want to fight the man...

"Listen..." Kaneki began softly, "Go back, forget you ever received that phone call and I won't have to kill you..."

This only served to piss the man off, as he readied his club. "A monster like you trying to bargain with a man? Pathetic, I don't affiliate with shit like you."

It was clear to Kaneki, at that moment, that the man was not going to listen to him... Sighing he rushed him, pulling back a fist ready to hit him. The man swung, but Kaneki predicted the move and ducked, just missing it by a hair, then with great force, shoved his fist into the man's stomach. But something was wrong... the man didn't even flinch, let alone move, he held his ground and looked down at Kaneki with disgust. "So you're a weak one huh? And here I was getting ready to lose my stomach..."

Then, violently, the man brought the club down on Kaneki's shoulder knocking him face first into the floor. However, adrenaline took over and Kaneki rolled out from under him, just as the weapon smashed the where his head was moments ago. He didn't even know the man was about to do that, it was just dumb luck. _Dammit... He should've been sent flying! What's wrong? Am I just weak?... No... It's not that, he was **hard**. I hit him with the right amount of force but... I see, of course... Investigators have to train rigorously to stand up to ghouls... he's no exception... meaning I'll have to use Rize..._

Then, violently, four red appendages shot from Kaneki's lower back, and wiggled around wildly, his sclea grew dark and his Iris turned red and he crouched. He must've intimidated the man, because his face turned from confidence to uncertainty. The change was slight... but it was there...

Kaneki rushed him again, this time, throwing his Kagune in front of him. "I told you..." he began as he got closer, "to turn **back!**" The kaguned connected with the quinque, producing a loud thud that rang out in in the area. but where Kaneki failed to hit him, he succeeded in making him move, he could do this! Kaneki, then decided to branch spread his available hit points. The hybrid, kept the quinque at bay, and then unfolded his Kagune, attempting to damage, without killing, several more areas. He succeeded, he cut into the investigator like butter, making him yelp and jump back in pain.

The man then charged at him once more, holding his weapon in front of him like a lance. Kaneki inwardly sighed, he wished the man would give up already, why couldn't he just let it go? Kaneki jumped at him, wrapped the tentacles around his quinque, and instinctively, regrettably, dug his teeth into the mans shoulder. As he did though, he flet a renewed strength rush through his body, he felt like he'd reached a new high. It was like the time he and Eto kissed, like the time when he'd first ate the sugar cubes, but he couldn't let himself enjoy it too long, lest he become lost in it. Kaneki then tightened his Kagune's grip until the quinque... broke...

Kaneki pushed the man down, establishing a dominant position over him mouth dripping with blood which covered his mask as well. "Please..." Kaneki pleaded, hoping the man would hear him. "Please just go..." Tears began streaming from his visible eye, "I don't wanna become a killer..."

* * *

Touka felt a now pointed Koukaku kagune pierce her side, pinning her to a support pillar. The crazed man was really beating her ass, despite her best efforts to use her speed. Just moments ago he'd revealed his new 'toy' to be Hinami's mothers Kagune. It was big, clearly used to be a shield and a near impenetrable one at that. Touka hadn't realized on just how many uses it had. She'd just been impaled by it for fucks sake... she had no idea that Ryouko's kagune was so strong.

The man grinned and pushed further, causing the Kagune to grind into her side making her scream. "That's it... That's it... scream like the animal you are!" He pushed twice more. Honestly with a flick of his wrist he could end Touka right here, right now, but he wanted to make her suffer. _Hmmm... I should really check on the little one now... Ever since she'd let out that scream when I pulled out her precious mommy she hasn't said a word... I hope she didn't run off..._

Kureo looked over to the girls location, thankfully she was still there, holding her face, pulling on her skin. It made him smile... she must have been losing her mind right now... he didn't necessarily becalled lieve that ghouls have emotions, but if he did then he felt no greater pleasure than in making them suffer in their hearts. "Hey, little Fueguchi!" he called out to her, her eye's move to look at him, "Watch this..." Kureo then, with great force, pushed into the walled ghoul hard, making blood spray out like a fountain.

Hinami read Touka's lips "Hinami..."

Hinami felt helpless... helpless because she was going to lose someone else she cared about... She lost her mother and now her big sister? No, she didn't want that to happen... she wouldn't **let **it happen. Her back became incredibly hot then, sweat began streaming down it like rain, it felt like something was inside of it, ready to pop out... and pop out it did... First her upper back, then her lower, they exploded with an almost releasing feeling, then she felt heavy, like she was being weighed down by concrete. However, despite her sudden immobilization, there was only one thing one she cared about.

"I won't let you hurt big sister..."

The two lower weight's began smashing around the area wildly, breaking off chunks from surrounding concrete pillars and throwing themselves at their assailant. Hinami recognized them however, they were her fathers, his Kagune... she then tilted her head back and saw her mothers Kagune curling over her protectively and for a moment... Hinami felt happy...

Kureo smiled wildly, his smile nearly peeling his face off. She was perfect, a Chimera! The rare occurrence of a child receiving two kagune, along with the best qualities of each. He used his free quinque, the girls fathers kagune, to combat it. He was having trouble, but this only excited him more. He couldn't help but laugh as he batted the attacking appendages away, on more than one occasion, just barely missing being decapitated, however, he wasn't going to last long doing that alone.

"Forgive me, rabbit, but I've found a more interesting playmate." He said, pulling out the quinque that was embedded into her side and opened it to it's full width, ready for the next attack. When it came, it landed right in the center of the shield-like weapon, Kureo quickly closed the petals onto the spines and pulled back, bringing Hinami closer and closer.

The advantage Hinami had was now gone and she was barreling closer to the investigator, unable to defend herself with her lower appendages rendered useless. He began to whip her fathers tentacle out behind him, ready to swing it into her, once she got close. Hinami could have scream, cried, or called for Touka, but it wouldn't do any good, there was nothing more they could do, Touka was struggling to stand and Hinami wasn't strong enough to use her heavy upper appendages, so she decided she wouldn't give the man the satisfaction of hearing her scream.

There was a sharp squishing sound, the sound of a large object dropping in the water and then... silence. Touka felt her heart sink, Hinami died, she just knew it, what else could have happened? _Dammit, dammit, dammit, dammit, dammit! _she thought, tears rushing out of her eyes. _I failed, I couldn't save Hinami and now... now her entire family is gone... _

Then she heard a voice, it was that man's, but he said something that didn't make any sense. "Oh... It's you... Owl..."

Kureo frowned, he hadn't envisioned his reunion with his wife's murderer going quite like this... hell, he didn't even get to kill the girl... The Owl had appeared, cut his hands off and now shoved the very same blade through his abdomen and he was slowly losing consciousness. In the end it was his own fault... he should've heard it coming, but he was to engrossed in killing the child... that he lost his bearings. _Ahh damn... who would've guessed that the Owl was in the most docile ward? I'm sorry... Kasuka..._

Touka watched as the investigator fell limp on the kagune of the hooded ghoul, who was only about Touka's size, maybe a little taller. There was a familiar Aura about them, though Touka couldn't quite make it out... The ghoul looked back at her once... then simply left... as if they had not just saved the two girls or killed a man. Still though, Touka could not stop shaking, she looked over to Hinami, who watched with equal interest as the ghoul disappeared.

It wasn't five minutes later that Yomo and Kaneki appeared, though Yomo had a torn cloak splattered with blood on, TOuka thought about asking... but honestly as long as he was alright she couldn't give much of a shit, she just wanted to sleep.

* * *

After that, the group of five returned to Anteiku to find Eto, Irimi, and the manager there waiting expectantly. They sent Hinami to bed, and most of the group, including Yomo went to work on bandaging Touka's wounds for her... The investigator had really fucked her up. As a group though, they decided it would be best that Irimi stayed with them for the night.

* * *

Touka now stood at the outside of the restroom door, after the group had cleaned her and dressed her wound, Eto had taken Kaneki into the restroom to take a look at his shoulder. Touka didn't notice the wound until the author had pointed it out, but when she did she noticed just how deep it was. Though, that was an hour ago, it didn't look that bad... but she wanted to make sure she was OK. However, for whatever reason, she decided to ease drop on the two. She pressed an ear to the door and listened.

"Ahhh..." a familiar male voice hissed in slight pain.

"Ohhh... Kaneki, don't be such a baby... Touka didn't make this much noise when they put the others were fixing her up..." Clicked Eto, in response to the sudden complaint."

"S-sorry..." Kaneki replied, "I guess I'm not used to having my shoulder ripped into..."

"Well... It's not like you two weren't even in the end... He hurt your shoulder, you bit into his... at least you didn't kill him, huh?"

"Y-yeah... I suppose."

Another hiss.

"Oh my... I suppose if **this **hurts you I can't be cuddling you tonight... That's too bad... I really was looking forward too it."

"It doesn't hurt that much..." Kaneki mumbled in reply...

Touka's eye'd widened at the conversation, her face began to heat up and she began to sweat mildly. She... shouldn't be listening, she should leave them alone... but, against her more polite manners Touka cracked the door open to peak in... And as luck would have it... she was just in time to see Eto lock lips with Kaneki in a rather sensual manner. Touka lost her breath, her face flushed, and she almost squeaked in surprise.

"There," Eto spoke breaking away, "Now stop complaining, I just need to dab it a few more times."

* * *

Outside of the coffee shop stood a blond man, wearing a white suit, his well built body almost ready to burst out of it. A sick smile on his large face and his eye's wide with excitement. On his hands he wore many gold and silver rings, the fingers of which were holding themselves in a rather uncomfortable looking way, and then, in a fast motion he cracked his right index finger. "Ken Kaneki huh?" he coed, "I can't wait to meet you..."


	10. New Faces, Some Kind, Most Not

Kaneki stirred around under the covers of the bed, well aware of Eto's warm body laying on top of him, purring gently and releasing a giggle ever now and again. He thought nothing of it, in fact he enjoyed it, Eto was like a second blanket, one that wrapped itself around you, and would every now and again kiss you. He smiled, still closing his eyes, for someone who ate humans all her life, she kissed surprisingly gently. In fact, she was rather intimate when she wanted to be, just last night she refused to let Kaneki sleep until she was tired of doing so... he fell asleep before she could finish kissing him. At first he didn't know if he'd enjoy this type of relationship with Eto, he enjoyed her company, her books, and her in general, but before that night when Touka had assaulted him he didn't realize just how much he wanted Eto to kiss him.

Said show's of affection only got better over time. Eto had, rather freely, admitted that she was a newcomer to relationships like this and the only source of physical affection she had were adult books. But, Kaneki(despite never even holding a girls hand) thought she was doing more than fine. He didn't know if everyone felt like this when it happened, but he felt an intense heat in his stomach, a gut feeling that begged for more... However, Eto would stop so suddenly that he felt deprived... yet satisfied... she did it on purpose... Kaneki just new.

Suddenly another giggle, then the feeling of a soft warm hand on his cheek and a gentle voice, stifling laughter whispered into his ear. "Hey there, Ken... wake up... I wan't you to see something." Then, she softly kissed him, her hair tickling his closed eye's. Kaneki slowly opened them, they felt light and willing... It was one of those rare occasions when they hybrid slept great and he personally believed it was thanks to Eto.

"Good morning..." he smiled drowsily, he'd become much more comfortable with waking up in this position, in fact it made him enjoy waking up at all.

"There," she began, grinning wildly, "Now **both **of you are up..."

Kaneki's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, Both? Who else was here, to his knowledge, they were the only ones here. "What?" He asked, displaying his confusion clearly. Eto simply smiled, and slowly lowered herself on him completely. As she did so he felt a new, warm pressure flow with her, it crawled from his groin, to his waist and ended just before his actual torso started. He felt his face flush bright red, he began to sweat in embarrassment, he knew exactly what it was as he'd woken up to one several times before. It was an erection.

"I-I-" Kaneki began, trying to save himself from the embarrassment, but only making it worse. What was one supposed to say in this situation? It was probably one of the most embarrassing things that had ever happened to him.

Eto began cackling wildly at him, making her amusement known. Her laughter rang in his ears, sending sudden worries into his head. Was he... to small? Was he not wide enough? Or was she just laughing at his morning erection... God, he hoped it was just the last one. "Oh my, Kaneki," she spoke between laughs, "I didn't realize how frustrated you were."

"N-no, I-I-"

Eto then kissed him, shutting him up and surprising him. Then breaking the kiss she spoke, "Listen, I don't mind if you take time to... relieve yourself every now and again.", all the while smiling down at him. "I'd help but... I'm not really in the mood right now." Then she rested her chin on the crook of his neck and sighed tiredly. "I'd much rather cuddle if it's all the same to you."

Kaneki, flustered, began to defend himself. "I-I don't... do that!" He said, sounding almost disgusted at the thought.

"What?" Eto asked, actually sounding surprised at the revelation. "You mean you've never rubbed one out?" she sat up, starring at him with almost disbelief. Was it really that hard to believe? Did he **look **like someone who would?

"N-No!" Kaneki paused, looking at her, "D-do you?"

Eto let out a tired laugh and began to stretch, "Hmmmm , every now and then... I mean one has to get rid of stress somehow and sometimes pleasuring yourself is the best way to do so." She threw her hands down on to his chest and then slowly re-positioned herself on top of him, smiling and groaning as her body loosened up. "It's only natural, both humans and ghouls do it, there's no shame in it... Think of it as giving yourself a momentary release from the stress of reality, then it's not so bad."

"I-I suppose..." Kaneki said looking to his left, feeling a little uncomfortable. He wasn't lying when he'd said he'd never masturbated, he never even attempted it. He didn't even touch his junk when he went to urinate.

"So it's settled then?" Eto asked into his neck.

"What is?" Kaneki responded with a question of his own. He didn't know they settled on anything.

"You'll start masturbating." His girlfriend told him, boredly, as if she didn't tell him that he should start touching himself.

"W-what!?" He yelped, face red, "I-I never said that!"

Eto grinned into his neck, her hot breath tickling him as she did. Then, she lifted herself up, straddling him at the waist and smiled down at him, mischievously. "Well you are." She told him matter-of-factly, "Because it's natural, it relieves stress, and not to mention it'll make you feel tons better." Then, placing her hand dangerously close to his groin, she spoke once more, "Or, I guess I could help you...", Mock seduction in her voice. She then tugged at his deep blue pajama bottoms and raised her eyebrows.

"N-no!" Kaneki squeaked, "I-I'll do it... I just... where?"

"In the restroom, of course." she said happily, "Just make sure you clean up after yourself if you make a mess."

Kaneki's flush intensified, and he gulped. "D-do I have to now?"

"Yes..."

There was then a silence, awkward(for Kaneki) and deafening. Eto looked a little to excited about all this, most girls(he thought) wouldn't be so excited about having their partners masturbating, but then again, Eto was fairly liberal in her ways, and she'd admitted to doing it rather nonchalantly, it made sense that she wouldn't mind. Kaneki looked her up and down, just to buy time(and some fuel to... please himself to, after all her top was held by a single button and her pajama bottoms were dangerously low. Sighing, he nodded, he couldn't believe he was being forced to masturbate, let alone by his Idol author, but then wilder things had happened to him. "O-ok..."

* * *

It had been a month since the incident with the investigators and despite one being murdered by an unknown ghoul, things had been surprisingly calm. No one even spoke of the event, Not the manager, not Koma, nor Irimi, not Yomo, not Eto, not Touka, not even Hinami. In fact, the little girl was acting surprisingly lively since she woke up the day after, like Kaneki had never seen before, still it was a heart warming sight.

Eto was in the coffee shop today, busy in front of her laptop writitng some story that she **refused **to let Kaneki see, not even a glimpse. Kaneki knew she was doing this to tease him because she had told him that it was a sequel to 'The Black Goats Egg' which left, purposefully, many unanswered questions, despite still being loved by her fans, including her boyfriend. On top of that anytime he'd get close to take a peak on the screen she would click off the page, playing it off as if she **didn't **see him coming, but Kaneki knew her game, and he knew she wasn't playing fair.

Though, it wasn't just her in the shop, there were other ghouls, in fact there was a considerable amount. He'd asked Touka, his short tempered co-worker if there was any special ghoul holiday, to which she simply scoffed and looked at him with a disapproving face. Kaneki was surprised when she'd told him that they'd come to see 'the ghoul who repelled a Nest investigator'(meaning him). Kaneki thought she was being rude at first, but his opinion quickly changed when he'd noticed ghouls looking him up and down, some approvingly, some with a mixture of mock and surprise on their face. He'd tried his best to avoid their stares, Kaneki didn't want to be known as a power house, because it wasn't him. He remembered in primary school, when he was bullied the most, that he tried to pick a fight with a rather large student and was sent home with a bloody nose... That event described his life perfectly from then on ironically.

Suddenly there was there was the familiar and friendly chime of the door opening and a breeze along with it. Kaneki turned to look at the new customer and give the greeting they were required to give, however Touka beat him to it.

"Welcome to Antei-" she stopped, apparently recognizing the man, then frowned in annoyance, "-ku..." she finished with a just as annoyed tone in her voice. What worried Kaneki is that, while there was always annoyance in her voice, it was particularly sharp here.

The man wore a red and purple suit that stuck out in contrast from the shop and the others in it, his hair a deep shade of purple, a lot like Rize's Kaneki noticed but it was more than likely coincidence, He was tall as well, tall and thin. The man then began to arch his back and take in a deep nose full of the coffee scented Anteiku air and letting out a satisfied breath when he finished. "The smell of coffee being ever so gently brewed... The scent of fine wood and the tapping of feet upon it... And last, but not least, the tinge of **human **within the air..." He almost moaned aloud, describing the scents he felt flow into his nostrils, all the while flamboyantly changing his poses. "And... there is a new, but familiar scent within the air..."

Kaneki stared on at the scene, concern for the ghouls sanity in his head, and he would've stayed that way had Eto's voice not shaken him from his trance. "Helloooooooo, Shuuuuuuuuu!" She called, halfway standing up and wildly waving her right hand in the air above her head.

Kaneki notice the man clench his jaw slightly, and narrow his eye's at the sudden noise, a silent anger within them. But, as if nothing had happened, he then brushed his hair a bit and breathed a cool bit of air from between his lips. "Hello, Miss Takatsuki... It's been a while..."

Eto childishly nodded her head in response, her regularly bobbed hair bouncing slightly, "6 months and three days to be exact..." she said, sticking her index finger into the air, as if making a point.

"Yes... well, I just came by to see this new blood who took down that troublesome investigator Koutarou Amon." He explained, stalking toward Kaneki. "Forgive me for not coming sooner, but... I was rather swamped..." He then turned his attention to Kaneki. "I assume it was this one here, no?" Shuu asked, no one in particular, as he lowered himself slightly, leaning at the waist and began circling Kaneki. "Hmmm... the smell of sweat, blood rushing, and... oh my..." he teased at him, making Kaneki understand exactly what he reeked of, even if just a little. "But, there's something deeper... hmmm, ahhh yes... Human... Human and ghoul... a familiar yet new scent..." Shuu then stood to his full height and looked down at Kaneki. "Hmmmm... You are Ken Kaneki right?"

"Y-yes"

"I see, so the rumors **are **true... there is another one-eye in the 20th ward... You, miss Takatsuki,... and the Owl... that makes three." Shuu then looked over to Eto knowingly, "I wonder who the latter really is..."

Eto sipped her coffee, grinning at him, "Yeah, who could **he **be..."

Shuu simply smirked as he stepped back from Kaneki, "Well, I only came to visit... It was a pleasure meeting you, Ken Kaneki..." And with that, the odd man left, closing the door elegantly and gently behind him.

Kaneki found himself starring at the door, confused by the mans appearance, his actions, then his sudden exit. Kaneki didn't know why, but he had a feeling that that man was trouble, and that he wasn't well liked(at least by Touka).

"Kaneki." Eto called to him, waving her hand towards herself, closing her laptop and sliding it away to the wall next to her, "Come here, there's something I want to tell you." Kaneki walked over to the author, curious as to what she needed him for. Her tone was odd, almost worried, that was new for her, especially considering her easy-going personality.

Eto watched as Kaneki walked over, at the same time watching Touka look up, a blush on her face, then quickly scurry out of the room. _Aww damn, we were careless... Oh well, Touka's not the gossiping type. _Kaneki now stood in front of Eto, curiosity on his face as he looked down at her. Quickly Eto grabbed him by his tucked tie and pulled him into a light kiss, then sat him down.

She wasted no time getting to the point, she brought him close to her, put her mouth to his ear and began to talk. "About that man, the one who just came in... I want you too stay away from him..." She began, speaking somewhat gravely, "You see, he has a sick fantasy of being able to make humans into gourmet foods... but it doesn't stop there... He's also obsessed with tasting half-ghouls..."

Kaneki gulped, that explained why he got so close to him, why he was so interested, but it also raised a few questions. "Why didn't he go after you?" Kaneki asked, curiously.

"He did... it was a few years ago, so as punishment I... well... I tore out his tongue and broke his nose to the point where he could hardly smell... He was less than pleased... But don't be fooled, he's a pretty strong ghoul... and despite our little training sessions you probably wouldn't be able to win." Then, the author placed her lips on him once more and released him, pulling out her laptop and going back to work. "Now, shoo! No peaking yet..."

* * *

It was late now, most of the customers, including Eto had left for the day, leaving only Touka, Yomo, and Kaneki himself in the shop. It was a rather boring scene to behold if Kaneki said so himself, Yomo sat patiently in the corner of the shop, being quiet as usual, his big coat laying gently over him, and his arms crossed firmly, as if he was being kept... Was he? Yomo was always an enigma to the hybrid, he had the capability for compassion, but his actual mood at time was never really clear.

Touka, on the other hand was hard at work behind the counter, furiously cleaning coffee out of cups. Though, Kaneki had to say she had been acting odd these last few months, ever since the night Hinami ran away in fact. At first she'd tried to avoid him it seemed, off-put by something, but soon she had started to linger around him, as if expecting something from him.

"Hey, Shit head- Kaneki!" Touka called from behind the counter. That was her new nickname for him, she'd started cslling him that soon after that night near Kasahara as well. Strangley enough, though, Kaneki didn't really mind, he'd come to understand Touka in fact. She **liked **to play the bitchy-emo girl, but she was in fact far kinder than she let on... at least to Hinami, and he took pleasure in her bristling annoyance whenever he would act like he didn't hear her name calling.

The dark haired waitress then tossed the key's to the shop over to him, hard, probably hoping to hit him in the head, however Kaneki caught them(albeit just barley). "Lock up after me tonight..." Then, without saying another word she began towards her room upstairs, getting a change of clothes.

"W-wait!" Kaneki called, a bit annoyed at her vagueness, "You **live **here, why do I have to lock up for you?"

Touka looked down towards him, annoyance in her big, but judgmental eyes. "I have somewhere to go tonight... My friend, Yoriko wanted to hang out... She says I'm to anti-social and I don't want people to get suspicious of me."

Kaneki nodded, "So... Yoriko is... a human?"

Touka looked down towards Kaneki once more, a sudden memory in her eye's, then she gritted her teeth in rage. "Yeah, what the fuck of it?" she hissed, her fist tightening.

"N-nothing!" Kaneki yelped, trying to save his skin, "Just wondering is all..."

Touka grunted in dissatisfaction and walked up stairs, slamming the door behind her angrily. Kaneki flinched at the sound, this is what happened often with Touka, it seemed that she **still **hated him for something. Still, she was much nicer to him since that investigators death, perhaps she had stopped blaming him for Ryouko's death? In any case, though, it didn't matter, Kaneki would have to get used to her attitude, or risk the slaps upside the head she would often give him.

Now only Kaneki and Yomo remained(along with Hinami who was sleeping on the floor above) and an awkward atmosphere hat set upon the small coffee shop. Kaneki had hardly any interaction with the tall, white-haired man... No, that wasn't true, a month ago, after he fought off that investigator, he was having trouble returning his kagune to his body, he couldn'y do it... rather **it **didn't want to go back in... Kaneki was going insane at that time due to having tasted sweet flesh and then forcefully depriving himself of it. Yomo had come to try and help Kaneki, but instead found the boy's Kagune peircing through himself... though Yomo didn't even flinch, it wasn't a lack of speed, nor a lack of reflex, but rather... he simply didn't care, it didn't bother him. He didn't say a word after either, when Kaneki regained his sanity and his bearings, Yomo practically carried him to Touka and Hinami's location.

KAneki didn't get to thank him for that, because he hardly saw him much after that, so his appearance in the shop now was strange... unless he just came to visit. Kaneki gulped and spoke, his mouth dry... "Ahhh... Yomo... it's about closing time for the shop... You-you'll have to leave soon..."

Yomo simply nodded at him, face apathetic, body stiff. "I know... I'm just waiting for you to close it..."

Kaneki began to become worried, was something wrong? Was Yomo actually mad at him for running him through like that? D-did he want to meet Kaneki as well? It seemed to the new hybrid that he wasn't necessarily off the ghouls menu even after the surgery, he wondered how ghouls felt, never fearing being eaten, but then, not many ghouls did know how tasty half-ghouls were apparently, so he wasn't in that much danger on the streets... but still... he was becoming increasingly paranoid at the thought. It was almost funny, how, as a human, he never considered the possibility of ghouls, but now they were pretty much the only thing on his mind.

"A-ah... Ok..." Kaneki replied, trying his utmost to hide the worry in his voice, but failing quite miserably. "W-why?"

"Because Eto wants to make sure that Shuu Tsukiyama doesn't try and satisfy his hunger with you..."

Kaneki felt his body run cold, the way Yomo had said that, coupled by the thought of being chased down at night once more, was almost chilling enough to freeze him on the spot. "Shuu... Tsukiyama..." Kaneki repeated, shakily, "I-is that the man who came here earlier? The one with the purple hair and the... flamboyant... suit..?"

Yomo nodded in reply, then spoke once more. "Though as long as Eto is around in the 20th ward, I have a feeling he won't try anything... He may be dangerous... but Eto is much more so... He's not stupid either..."

Kaneki ha noticed many people had been talking about his girlfriend like that, like she was somebody famous... well, she **was**, but the term he was looking for was probably more along the lines of Infamous, like she was strong. Kaneki himself knew she was, having experienced it first hand about a month ago or so, but he felt Eto couls do much more than that. "A-bout, Eto..." Kaneki inquired, eagerly, "Before I met her... What was she... like?"

Yomo looked at Kaneki, almost sympathetically, and maybe a little surprised? Like he thought he would have know by now... or no... That **Eto **was **keeping **something from him. Then, as if he wasn't surprised(if he was) Yomo simply responded with, "That sounds like a question you should ask **her**..."

* * *

Shuu sat at a round, white clothed dinner table, a single plate in front of him and a small, petite, brunette at the end, a camera hanging from her neck like a necklace. Around them were similar tables, scattered about the room, a dim orange light, colored the room and classical European music filled it as well. Despite what it sounded like this was not a 5-star restaurant, in fact, it was not a restaurant at all. It was just another room in Shuu Tsukiyama's mansion.

From a very young age, Shuu had alway's received whatever he desired. His family had become huge in the world of business, and as such he had been provided a comfortable life. He had many servants, ghouls and humans a like. In fact, he was so comfortable that said human servant's knew what he was, he simply paid them not to talk, and they oh so obediently obeyed. It was a privileged life indeed.

Before the two, laid their respective diets, for Tsukiyama an assortment of cut up virgin eyeballs, along with a tongue and the genitals of a young man. For his human friend, Chie Hori, was her name, a lobster, surrounded by lettuce and to the side a black, plastic cup of dipping sauce, though she hardly seemed interested in the food ,which had been so expertly prepared by the human chefs of Shuu's kitchen, but rather Shuu himself. He had invited her over to dinner today, but he only really did that when he wanted to talk about something.

"I am grateful for your coming, little mouse, I have a rather exciting topic to share with you to day..." He began, quite dramatically.

"Oh, and what might that be?" Asked, the small human, as she took a bite out of the lobster.

"I have a new... dish I am dying to taste... It goes by the name of Ken Kaneki... However, he is currently in the care of my previous hunger: Takatsuki Sen. It is so agonizing to see such a tasteful being so... wasted..."

"Mhmmm..." Chie said, this time dipping the lobster into sauce and placing it her mouth. "I remember you saying something similar when you met that Takatsuki woman... but you remember what happened when you tried her... She'll probably do it again if you eat this Ken guy... so how are you going to go about it?"

"Ahh, but that's the best part... It's not actually getting to taste it that's good, no, sometimes... it's the wait...

* * *

Now, back in her house Eto sat in front of gathered books from her own personal library(more of an empty closet, but whatever), books that were rather obscure and some not. She had laid them out upon her coffee table in front of the couch and sighed, boredom evident in her voice. She'd had these books for years, and they were quite interesting, but she never really had anyone to discuss them with. Touka, Koma, and Irimi weren't readers, Hinami couldn't really understand, and her father would have been confused by them. It was ghoul history, something very poorly documented, Eto wondered if it was intentional or if ghouls of tha past simply didn't care too...

The sounds of the door unlatching echoed through the house and then the slight whine of said door moving replaced it. Eto knew who it was, it was Kaneki, Yomo had brought him home as she asked, but he didn't stay himself, instead he turned and left. _Not even a 'hello' _Eto pouted mentally, _how rude. _Now though, she noticed Kaneki looking at the books, a familiar confused look on his face.

"Kaneki, come here!" she told him, patting the cushion next to her gently. Kaneki obeyed, albeit uncertainly. Eto knew that he knew that she was going to grab him and that he was looking forward to it, he just didn't want to admit it... after all he was a bit of a pervert.

The moment Kaneki arrived at her side Eto grabbed him and pulled him down on her lap, securing him tightly and resting her chin at the top of his head. She felt him relax in her grasp, his arms fell limp on his stomach and he let out a tired sigh. "Hello, Eto..." he said, like he was going to fall asleep. She smiled, she loved to hold him like this, he was like... like a blanket sometimes, he was warm, somewhat soft(becoming less and less soft as they continued his training) and when he took breaths it tickled her.

"Hello, Ken." She replied, speaking into his head, "Are you tired?"

"A bit..." He yawned in reply, his eye's half open. He was truly, despite how lax his job could be he came home tired almost every day now, he really shouldn't be, but this was the first job he'd ever had... so it was to be expected.

Eto laughed a bit, and lifted his head up to the point to where he was starring her in the eye. "I'm sorry..." She smiled and then placed her lips against his own, pushing gently but intimately enough to prompt him to react the same way. This had become standard for the couple, Eto would often instigate it and Kaneki would follow her lead. She preferred it this way, because she loved Kaneki's surprised reaction when they touched lips, even as long as they had been doing it.

Eto broke the kiss away and smiled, "Feel better?" she asked, teasingly.

"Y-yeah..." Spoke the college student a happy blush on his face.

"Do you feel empty after this morning?" She asked, still in the teasing mood. "You were in their for quite a while... I hope you didn't make a mess..."

Kaneki blush turned to one of embarrassment and he frowned, "I- I told you, I don't do that..."

"Oh, so you wanted me to help you?" She teased, yet again, slightly moving her hand down his torso, making him gasp a little.

"N-no... It- It's just that I... Don't do it..."

"Mhmm, but it felt relieving right?"

"I- guess so.."

"Mhmmm..." Eto, replied, amused at his shyness, "Now, see these books here, Kaneki?" She asked, motioning with her head to the book covered coffee table. Kaneki looked down towards the table himself, seeing a collection of around 7 books on the table. "These are some of the only books that have recorded history of Ghouls..."

Kaneki's eye's widened, he did have questions about ghouls now that he was one, but he never really had the opportunity to ask them. "Hey, Kaneki..." Eto spoke once more, "Have you read, Bram Stokers Dracula?" She inquired, bringing her mouth onto his head.

"Yeah, I read it for an assignment in college..."

"Did you know that Dracula was a ghoul?" Eto asked.

"I thought in the book he's a vampire?" Kaneki responded, without looking back at Eto.

"Well, he is, but in actuality Vlad the impaler was a ghoul, the rumors of him drinking blood were all true, in fact he hid his identity as a ghoul by spreading rumors that he was a vampire... Jack the ripper was also a ghoul... though he was never caught... He preyed upon the young prostitutes of London until a member of the original London Counter Ghoul organization, Sherlock Holmes, killed him... Back then though, there were no quinque's... so humans would use the Kagune of dead ghouls like a sword... it wouldn't last long however as the Kagune need nutrients to sustain themselves."

"That's... actually quite interesting..." Kaneki replied, his mouth slight agape, he did wonder how it was that ghouls did not dominate the world by now.

"Isn't it?" Eto asked, more to herself than Kaneki, "But the most interesting parts lie in the Pre-European exploration of the America's. especially the Mayan's..." she paused, "Eventually I want to read this with you, when we have time, but I assume your tired so-"

"W-we can read them now." Kaneki interrupted, sounding a bit excited.

Eto smiled, "Ok then..."

* * *

Kaneki now felt like he regretted staying up so late with Eto, reading, as fun as it may have been. They discussed the various tribes of the western hemisphere, the Americas. The Mayan's, Aztec's, etc. They even divulged into how ghouls are viewed in religion. It was all very interesting, but as interesting as it was... Kaneki was suffering because of his interest. They had both fallen asleep on the couch and when Kaneki woke up he was an hour late for work, and what's worse Touka was there to scold him. What's more, though, is that due to their all-nighter Kaneki was about to fall asleep at work.

But there was one bright side... The shop so far had been completely empty, in fact it was only Touka and him there, and it was quiet. Kaneki was laying up stairs on a couch, a single arm draped over his face in an attempt to shield his eyes from invading light rays peaking through the blinds. He was lucky Touka didn't give much of a shit when he went up stairs to lay down, if she wanted to she could have forced him to stay downstairs and scrub the tables.

In fact she was acting weird today, not mean(despite the scolding) but just quite strange, in fact he even found her sniffing him... or at least he thought she was... maybe that encounter with Shuu still had him shaken... But Shuu had mentioned something personal about him, about what he did yesterday morning... was he joking or... could ghouls smell that? He knew he could smell it when Nishiki and that girl were... getting intimate.

But... were the others smelling what he did? If they did was the smell still lingering on him? There were many thoughts running through his head and causing his face to grow red with embarrassment, however all of it was interrupted when the door rang. "Shit..." Kaneki mumbled to himself, standing up and hurrying downstairs.

When he reached the bottom he saw four figures, one tall and bulky, stood stiffly. His hair was laid down on his hair jelled back and spiked at the ends and his small beard shaved into a rather weird design. He had an angered and threatening look in his eye's, Kaneki decided then that he didn't want to mess with him... The others looked similar to one another, however one was shorter than others and much more feminine shaped.

Kaneki noticed Touka looking at them warily, almost as if she was ready to fight, however she still kept cool. "Would you like some coffee?" she asked, kindly, like the manager had taught her to.

The man shifted his gaze down to her and frowned. "No... we want to ask you a question,though..."

Kaneki stepped further towards them, "And what would that be?" He inquired, getting somewhat serious.

The man looked over to Kaneki and almost scoffed at how small he was, his bowl cut, his outfit, just about everything about Kaneki he found comedic, but then... there was a smell coming from him, a familiar smell, one that he missed... One that he was looking for. The man then grabbed Kaneki by the throat and pushed him into a wall, his face turning into an enraged scowl.

"You... Smell like Rize!" He shouted at Kaneki, reeling back his fist. "Are... you her... her..."

"I-I-I" Kaneki stammered trying to think of something to calm him down.

"Hey, put him down!" Touka yelled, getting ready to attack herself.

"Rize's Boyfriend!?"

_Wut? _Kaneki thought, almost laughing, but thanking god that he didn't, lest the man punch his face in. He heard Touka verbalize a similar question and one of the three goons in the background, the more feminine one, sighed.

The man then tried to hit Kaneki, but thanks to his time fighting with Eto, Kaneki countered, surprisingly efficient in his movement. He grabbed the man's thick arm and pulled it off of him, finding it surprisingly weak considering his size. Then, in a swift movement, he dodged the swinging fist by mere inches and delivered a swift, light uppercut to the man's chin and readied himself for another swing, surely it would take more than that to take someone like this guy down.

However, to Kaneki's surprise, the man... feel down, like a log onto the wood floor... in fact he was out cold...

"So weak..." Touka muttered to herself, looking down at the floored man judgementally.

"Thats... our leader..." One of the trio said, embarrassed.

* * *

The man had been out for a good thirty or so minutes now and showed no sign of stirring awake, so they ended up moving him upstairs... It was actually becoming quite worrisome, What if he never woke up, what then? How would he explain that to the manager? His group was actually not mad at all that Kaneki had floored their leader like that, in fact they said it was quite common. They revealed that Banjou, that was his name, was the leader of the 11th ward until a group of ghouls had taken over, however their rule was more a dictatorship than anything as those who didn't join were killed or beaten to hell. They had said that the group was sent here to find Rize or find 'the one who **smells **like Rize', It wasn't hard figuring out who they meant... But Banjou was hoping to tell Rize something, instead of capture her(as if he could).

Suddenly, Banjou began to stir, his eye's blinking quickly and his head shaking until finally he opened his eye's. He sat up quickly and looked around, wondering where he was. His face was one of confusion and his eye's were that of worry, as if he feared waking in a certain place. Then, abruptly, he grabbed his jaw and hissed, "Owww, dammit that hurts..."

"S-sorry..." Kaneki replied, smiling. "I didn't mean to hit you, it was just reflex..."

Banjou looked over to him, surprise in his eyes, almost like he couldn't believe someone like Kaneki could do that. "... You're a lot stronger than you look..." Banjou commented, rubbing his chin, then sighed, "I suppose that's why Rize choose you, huh?"

"No, she didn't choose me(at least not in that way)," Kaneki replied, very strongly, "We were just close friends..."

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Banjou replied bowing to show his apology.

"I-it's fine really, you don't have to-"

"I do! I have to or I will be even less of a man than I am right now!" Banjou argued, still bowing, causing Kaneki to sigh. "But, anyway's might you go where Rize went?" He asked, his demeanor turning dark. Kaneki considered telling him the truth, that Rize was dead, and that her Kagune was implanted within him, but he knew that would crush him... he just couldn't do it...

"Ahhh, no... She left the 20th ward a while ago... she didn't tell me where she was going either... she just left..."

"I see... well... should you see her again, can you give her a message for me?" Banjou asked, looking up almost pleadingly...

"I suppose... Why not?"

"Tell her to run." Banjou said, repeating his followers down below.

"Why?" Kaneki inquired, hoping to get more out of Banjou than he was releasing.

"A group sent us to look for her, however these guys... they're not someone you want to be affiliated with, no... They're cruel... They kill indiscriminately... They even murder ghouls for no reason sometimes... it's a nightmare... and to make things worse... I've heard that their leader is-"

Suddenly, there was a loud crash, glass sprayed the room, and a leg smashed into Banjou's arm, breaking it and sending him reeling to the floor. Where there once was a window now stood a slim, average height teenager, dark messy hair framing a grinning face, and strangely enough he looked almost exactly like Touka. "Hey Banjou, I think that's enough out of you, you're like a damn slut, alway's gossiping about others."

"Ayato..."

Suddenly, Touka and the other three ran into the room, Touka leading them, an angered expression on her face. "Hey, What the fuck is going on-" She stopped, anger forgotten, and a look of disbelief on her face. "Ayato..." she mumbled, but loud enough to be able to hear, even if just barely.

"Hey there," He replied, cheekily, "Big sister..."

Then, Touka felt the looming presence of two others behind her, causing her to turn. She saw two men, one small and slender, almost bones, the other huge, intimidating, with a face like a gecko. The thinner of the two wore woman's clothing, make up, and had a shaved head, he also stood like a woman too. The one next to him had his hands pushed into his pockets, lazily, a slight smile graced his lips and he looked down at Touka like one would a pest.

"Nico, Yamori... What the hell are you two doing here?" Ayato asked, his previous cheek forgotten, he almost sounded worried.

"Tatara isn't really that confident in your abilities Ayato, so he sent us as... insurance..." Yamori replied, his gaze shifting towards Kaneki. "Oh, who's this?" He co'od leaning in towards Kaneki, causing him to back up slightly. Yamori then sniffed the hybrid and smiled, "Hey, look, you found him, good job kid..." Yamori commented, reeling back a fist and smashing it onto Kaneki's face, sending him flying, and let out cries of anguish.

"Now, Now, Yamori." Nico warned, shaking his finger, "Kill him and Tatara won't be too happy..."

"I don't want to kill him... not yet... just see how much he can take..."

Touka was fed up, she'd had quite enough of sitting still. "You fucking bastard!" She yelled as she leapt towards him, Ukaku ripping out of her shoulder blade, ready to strike. Yamori simply smiled at the attempt, letting his arms go wide, telling her to give him her best shot... And she would have... had a booted foor not smacked her head and sent her to the floor, making her head bounce.

It was Ayato... Ayato, her baby brother had kicked her in the fucking head. "Ayato... you little brat!"

"A brat's someone who act's impulsively, Touka, You're the only brat here..." Retorted Ayato, hitting her square on the jaw, almost breaking it and sending her to the floor once more.

Yamori smiled and turned, just in time to see Kaneki trying to give him a hit of his own, single Kakugan activated and flaring. "Oh my!" He laughed as he dodged and appeared behind Kaneki, almost to fast for the eye to catch a glimpse. Kaneki was dumbfounded for a moment, searching for the big ghoul, how could someone so large disappear like that? Then, two thorned tails ripped through his stomach, making him cry out in pain, in turn making Yamori laugh.

"Hey, Yamori, that's enough!" Banjou yelled at him, but was ignored completely.

"Oh wow, he's still concious?" Yamori commented, then began thrashing the room with him. "LOOK AT IT, LOOK AT IIIIIIIT!" he screamed in exitment, "HE DOESN"T FUCKING BREAK! NO MATTER HOW MANY TIMES I HIT HIM, HE DOESN'T BREAK!"

The view was sickening, so much so that even Ayato averted his eye's and made a disgusted face, "Let- Let's just go..." he said, almost sympathetic for the imapled Kaneki, who now had a dazed, bloody face. And leave they did, without protest, without a making much noise, taking Kaneki, Banjou, and the other three with them, leaving Touka in a pool of Kaneki's blood, on the floor, unable to do a thing...

_Dammit..._


	11. I am a Ghoul

Eto sat on the bed, now empty, when it was once occupied by her and Kaneki... He had been taken just yesterday... it was so strange, that morning he was there, late for work, and now he was gone. Ayato had shown up as well, according to Touka, who had a broken nose from said little brother. She said that he was accompanied by two others... well, technically six, but the other four weren't interested in kidnapping Kaneki... She said, 'They were looking for Rize, or the one that smelled like Rize.' Eto knew who this group was, Yomo had been keeping tabs on them for a good while now, telling Eto and her father that they were dangerous, but he couldn't figure out who led them... until yesterday. Ironic, wasn't it? The day that they discovered the leader, Kaneki was taken. Well... that wasn't quite true... because they claimed that their leader was 'The One-Eye'd Owl'. Which, Yomo, Yoshimura, and especially Eto, knew... was a lie. Eto and her father were both the 'One-Eye'd Owl', so that meant, according to Yomo, they were using then fear that the name inspired to scare off any would be attackers and even investigators. But, that still didn't explain why they wanted Kaneki, though... He was, even after beating that investigator, a weakling... actually, no, he was strong... he just lacked confidence. Still, were they taking him, because he had Rize's kagune, because they wanted a One-Eye'd ghoul in their inventory?... Or was it to lure out Eto..? Though the possibility of that last one was quite low, that would imply that they knew who the Owl actually was... But she didn't rule it out.

Eto noticed the creeping of daylight moving up the floor of Kaneki's room and she realized... she'd just sat there all night... What's more, she was going to be late...

* * *

Touka, along with Irimi, Koma, Hinami, and Yomo sat in the break room of Anteiku... the shop had been closed down for the day, due to Kaneki's abduction... an abduction she was helpless to stop. God damn, she felt like an idiot, she'd been covered in blood before, hell, she'd covered **others **in blood before, but something had happened, something that paralyzed her with fear. No, it wasn't having her nose broken by Ayato, that wouldn't have hindered her at all, she was going to wail on him, but... when she saw Kaneki getting tossed around like a rag doll, his blood spewing like a faucet, covering her, she couldn't move... she was terrified, because she wasn't **strong **enough, it was her fault Kaneki was taken...

But, what concerned her more was Eto, she'd never been one to dwell on things, but ever since she found out about Kaneki's abduction she'd became... absent... She would often stare into space for long whiles, a look of slightly sad wonder on her face. It was such a contrast, a heavy one too, Touka didn't like seeing it. Eto played like she was OK, like it was just another day and they'd get Kaneki back, but now, for once, her acting wasn't fooling anyone... Herself, Irimi, Koma, Hinami, and Yoshimura, saw it... they wouldn't confront her about it, because she'd never admit it, but they knew how heavy it weighed on her... But only Touka knew just how badly... Touka hadn't told a single person what she'd seen that night when Hinami ran away, when she peaked in on Eto and Kaneki and saw just what their relationship was, it wasn't her business after all, right? But she had to comfort the author some how...

Then, ironically, the door opened, revealing a tired looking Eto, actually... tired wasn't quite the word... Eto's hair was a mess, like she'd been mauled, her face was pale, and her eye's God, they told the whole story... She looked at everyone with such kind eye's when she walked in, but at that moment everyone knew, but wouldn't say, that Eto wasn't handling this well at all...

Her eye's were happy yes... happy and red... She'd been **crying**, the cool, level-headed girl, who Touka had admired since she was a child had been... crying... It didn't look like Eto had known it herself, but she had been, there was no other explanation for it. The blow was much worse when Touka was reminded that it was all her fault. She knew, then, exactly then, how Kaneki must've felt when she'd battered him, he already blamed himself... what right did Touka have to make it worse... but it seemed that's all she was good at... making things worse...

"Hello, everyone..." Eto chimed, lowly as she made her way across the room. All eye's were on her, not out of awe, but rather sympathy, whether she noticed or not was uncertain. The green haired woman then got to Hinami, who sat on the sofa and knelt on one knee, "Hello, Hina!" She unenthusiastically chimed, "I'm sorry, I haven't made much time for you lately... you really should come over... then I could read to you, just like I used to, huh?"

"I-" Hinami stuttered, looking up at the oldest of her pseudo siblings.

"Oh, that's right, I forgot, you pretty much know how to read now, huh?" She coed, tilting her head, "You're such a good girl, Hinami..." Then, tiredly, she sat down on the sofa, in between Touka and Hinami and sighed, "I'm sorry I'm late," She apologized, lazily throwing up a finger into the air, "I... overslept..." That last part was a lie, Touka knew it, the bags under her eye's said otherwise, she hadn't slept a damn bit... Damn her, thinking she'd be a burden if she were even a little publicly upset, she was only making it **harder **for them.

Then, the door clicked once more, opening, and revealing an old man, wearing a brown trench coat and a bowler hat of a similar color. He wore gloves, and bore a dry umbrella. The forecast called for rain today, and the sky had been more or less dark since about half an hour ago, but not a single drop had come, perhaps it was fitting, at least Touka thought it was... There was an apprehension in the air, and the rain(or lack thereof) mimicked that apprehension... No one was looking forward to having this meeting, no one liked the idea of Kaneki being held captive, but this was the first step in getting him back.

"Before we begin this meeting... I wan't you to know, it's fine if any of you wish to step down... We'll be going against a group hundreds strong... However I myself shall be going regardless..." Yoshimura spoke, his face impassive, and his hand's behind his back. No one spoke, no one said a thing, not even Hinami, the youngest of the group. It was a show of determination, one saying that none of them were afraid... it made the old man smile.

"I see..." He spoke, slightly happier, "Well, let me introduce a new member to add to our rescue mission..." Then, he extended his arm, reaching for the doorknob and opened the door. In stepped a familiar, and admittedly unwelcome face, Touka clenched her jaw and frowned, _fucking great..._

"Amore!" the man said, throwing his arm gracefully into the air, "Heartbreak! Imagine my dear best friend Kaneki, being taken away by that unreasonable lot... who knows what they plan to do with him?" He said, a look of displeasure on his face, albeit fake, and a quiver in his voice. "It makes me weep, to imagine what they could be doing to him now..."

* * *

**Day 1.**

Kaneki's left eye hurt... God did it hurt... like a bee was in there stinging it... the pain had woken him up... but woken him up where, exactly? Where was he again? he didn't know... How did he even get here? Kaneki remembered meeting a man... A Chinese man, yes he was Chinese, Kaneki could tell... his face, his clothing, his smell... certainly Chinese... His names was Tatra? Taataro? No, no it was **Tatara**, yes, that was it... What did he call Kaneki after examining him closely again? Oh yes... useless...

He aloud that Yamori man to take him, that cruel man, good god... He stuck a syringe in his eye... what did he say? Oh yes, Kaneki remembered. '_Ghouls are impervious to any thing short of another ghoul... however there is one exception... the eye... the mucus membrane... that's how investigators know so much about ghouls... because they use an RC suppressant to nullify the ghouls impenetrable skin... It makes you like a human in terms of breakability...' _That's what he said... But that still didn't answer where Kaneki was...

He opened his right eye, now, trying to get his bearings... he first saw his feet, bare feet along with hairless legs, in fact, he could've sworn that he was wearing pants... he must've been changed when he lost consciousness... however his change of clothes was the least of his concerns... his feet were bound by shackles... he tried prying them apart with his legs, using the strength he acquired when he became a ghoul... but he remembered... the syringe... It must've sapped his strength away as well. He noticed his arms in a similar predicament as well... he began to hyperventilate... his back grew cold, his face began to heat up and the core of his stomach was gone... Then, like a cannon... he heard a door open... then slam... The sound predesignated through the room which Kaneki now noticed was enormous... The floor was tiled like a checker bored. and the walls reminded him of a bird cage... The beams were red, and the actual wall was black... it felt like a dreamscape...

"Ahhh, so you're awake, Kaneki..." An amused voice said, somewhat altered to a filtered hum.

Kaneki looked up, the man before him was undoubtedly Yamori, despite the mask he wore he could tell. He was big, towering over Kaneki... and his mask... oh God that mask... Like a hockey mask, just like the friday the 13th movies that were so popular in the west... kaneki remembered watching the 6th one a few years ago and being terrified... but nothing like this... no, nothing like this...

"I was worried... maybe you weren't going to wake up... then my new toy wouldn't work... and I'd be sad..." He somewhat joked as he walked towards the shaking, tied up boy, who's eye's were wide... "You see... I was especially excited about playing with you..." Yamori spoke as he began digging through his assortment of torture devices... picking some up momentarily and then setting them down, as if he wasn't quite sure what to use... it made Kaneki's stomach churn in horror... cleavers, pliers, saws, bolt cutters... and all of which, currently could hurt him... "When I was... thrashing you in the coffee shop... I noticed something... you're **very **durable... I wan't to test that durability..." He explained, rather casually as he finally decided on the right set of tools to use... A medical wrench.

"But... it's more of your sanity than your body you see..." He explained as he placed one of Kaneki's toes, his big toed, in between the pliers... "How much pain..." He said calmly... then without warning, he slammed the handles together and the pincers, like fucking lightning, tore through Kaneki's flesh, sending fire up his nerves and making him throw his head back and scream in pain. The scream was loud, deafening, and it only served to motivate Yamori into lobbing off more fingers. Yamori was screaming himself now, at Kaneki, giving him instructions.

**"KANEEEEEEEEEEKIIIIIIIII! CAN YOU HEAR ME, KANEEEEEEEEEEEEKIIIIIIIIIIII? I WANT YOU TO COUNT DOWN FROM 1000 BY 7'S!"**

Kaneki didn't obey, he couldn't Yamori was continuously removing toes, slowly agonizingly. His roars were so loud, Kaneki swore his ears were ringing now, He never felt this much pain before... When Eto hit him, he knew she wouldn't kill him... but this... it was more than likely he was going to die...

Kaneki began screaming, screaming, screaming, screaming, screaming, screaming, until, finally, he spoke, a single word, that made Yamori stop mid-cut to listen. "MOTHERRRRRRR!"

Yamori was silent, his hands were trembling, and he was breathing rather heavily, as if he just got done pleasuring himself. "W-what did you say?" He asked, almost nervous. Kaneki didn't respond, he simply hung his head, relishing the moments without pain. "You said 'mother' right?" Yamori asked, looking up and cracking his index finger. "Yes... I know that feeling well... Let me tell you a story, Kaneki..."

Yamori then gripped Kaneki's face roughly, and held it firm, to where he was starring at his mask. "When I was younger... I was just like you... I was weak, scrawny, a wimp, yes, but more importantly than that... I **loved **my mother... so much so that it aches to see her dead face." The built, tall ghoul said, quietly, as if telling Kaneki a secret. "But... I wan't you to know just exactly what happened to me...

* * *

Yakumo Oomori was running now, running towards his home in the pouring rain, quickly, as fast as he could. He just heard it on his way home from school, a luxury that his poor family could hardly afford for him, leaving themselves to live in a small shack-like house, alone, some days without power... Actually... it wasn't his family paying for it, just his mother... she was the only one who worked in the family. Yamori regarded his father as bastard, he simply sat there, watching television, and being useless. Despite his lazy behavior though, he was quite tough... He abused Yamori and his mother, sometimes for little things, Yamori couldn't stand up to him and his mother simply refused to... she was a pacifist by nature... so why? Why was she suffering now.

His family had been found out, investigators were attacking as he ran home, one thought in his mind... saving his mother. He was also somewhat excited, he had hoped, in what he realized was rather disturbingly, that his father was dead... he'd love to see the mans corpse, to know he was free from being beaten, of being ridiculed... he hoped that he died.

Yakumo soon found himself at his home now, as he turned the corner it lay on, to be greeted by a scene he'd never imagined he'd see... His mother, her kagune, brilliantly colored with a deep blue and red tips, fighting off investigators. She was fierce, almost frighteningly so, she tore through flesh, broke bone with ease, and slung body's like rag dolls... It was terrifying, and it also made Yamori somewhat mad... how she never stood up to his father. Why? she was clearly stronger than him. She was clearly, Superior than him, then why... let him beat the two..?

However, the questions could wait... in fact, he'd forgotten them because, despite her ability, his mother had been impaled, a stiff, sword like quinque tore through her throat, letting blood spray all over her killer... Yakumo wasn't certain but... he could've sworn her eye's drifted towards him at that point... tears leaking like rivers.

The time between then and when he was captured was a blur, all he remembered was... running...

That's when he met the man who tortured him, who taught him how to make one suffer... The man who killed Yakumo Oomori and gave birth to Yamori.

* * *

Kaneki found himself listening to the psychopath, intent on his story, slightly hoping to by himself a few more moments pf peace, but mostly... To discover **why **the man was doing this to him... Kaneki, if even for the briefest moment felt sorry for the man.

"Now then, Kaneki, since you are such a good listener, I wan't to tell you a secret..." Jason said, as he got down close to Kaneki's ear and began speaking, voice full of glee. "That doctor who preformed the surgery... Did you think he **didn't **know who Rize was, that he didn't know Rize was a ghoul?" Kaneki's eye's turned to saucers, his throat went dry, and deep feeling, one he hardly ever felt, was begging to creep up on him... It was hatred. "He is still doing his experiments I hear," Yamori continued, "But no one can get to him for some reason, and no one knows where he is... And that put's a damper on Aogiri's plans because, well... We wan't him to make more of you, Kaneki..." Yamori ecplained, letting it all sink in.

But that moment of realization passed quickly as Yamori resumed his dismembering Kaneki, without mercy, just as he did earlier... Only this time angey, full of rage, as if he were trying to full kill the one he saw as his previous self. The pain was unbearable and layered one on top of the other, like a video played on top of another video... Kaneki didn't know for how many hours he was beaten, cut open, jaw broken, nose broken, and throat chocked... he didn't feel it because... his body was becoming used to it... Until... he got a centipede in his ears.

God, that scratching, that violent scratching as it panicked and burrowed it's way into his ear and then finally stopped, every now and again twitching, reminding Kaneki that he was still inside, waiting for the boy to get moving again so it would have a reason to crawl again... But Kaneki didn't realize all that, when Jason put it in his ears, he began screaming, then his voice slowly was drowned out and replaced with... with laughter... his own laughter... yes, he was going to fucking lose it.

* * *

**DAY 5**

Kaneki's conciosness returned later, if he had fallen asleep after that he didn't know... He just remembered that he still lived at that time and God was he loathing it... every moment he was concious he was filled with pain, the itching pain of his fingers and toes regrowing. During his time being tortured for hours a day, Kaneki began to notice something... Every now and then... white locks would fall into his view. At first he thought them to be snow, but he remembers that he was still inside a building... it was his hair... He knew what this symptom, Poliosis.

Poliosis is a condition in which, due to stress, fear, or pain, a person's hair begins to turn white. Apparently, sometime during Kaneki's torture... it began happening to him. Now, however, he was preoccupied with the man before him, his maroon hood, covering his face as he cleaned Kaneki's bloody body up with care and somewhat of sympathy. Then, he said something that surprised the hybrid, enough to take his mind off the pain. "Damn, Kaneki... Yamori really likes to play with you..." The hooded figure said, not in a mocking way, but more of a sympathetic way... However, Kaneki knew who this was...

"N- Nishiki?" He asked, suddenly realizing how tired and weak his voice sounded, however that was the least of his concerns right now, he wanted to know why Nishiki was here, why was he with this group..? Kaneki knew he hated humans, but... he also seemed to hate others encroaching on his territory... and no doubt this group did that the moment they stepped foot in here. "Why... are you here?"

Nishiki was silent for a moment, he didn't answer, instead he stopped for a moment, then continued to wipe the blood of Kaneki's toes, probably as Yamori ordered. Everyday it was someone knew, each was as sympathetic as the last, but they would never say anything to him, they just had that feeling about them... maybe they'd seen this all before... or maybe they knew eventually their time would come.

Kaneki tried another question... "You're not... n-not mad are you?" He asked, keeping his head angled at the ground... he was just far to tired to move his neck currently and to be honest didn't want to look back up, for fear of seeing that hockey mask...

"I was..." Nishiki began... "But what you did to me actually helped me for the better I realize..."

"How?..."

"I-" A sharp ringing echoed through the dome, alerting Nishiki to a wrist watch... "I'll have to tell you later... Yamori get's angry when we take too long..." and with that he left, quietly... However, as he closed the door the room began to fade... fade to white. Kaneki soon found himself in a completely white space, his shackles were gone...his body no longer ached, and he felt warm. Kaneki tired to look around, but saw nothing, he tried looking down to his feet but saw nothing... then he realized, a light sheet of cloth laid over his eyes, blocking his vision.

Then a hand reached out, gently caressed his cheek, and made him smile. At first, he thought he knew who it was... It was Eto, he knew it was Eto, it had to be... No one else, touched him that soft... actually, that wasn't quite true... His mother had soft hands like that as well... And then Kaneki realized he didn't know who it was... _Eto? Mom?, _he mentally asked, moving his head towards the hand, causing his blind fold to slip off... A part of him wished it hadn't, because before him was neither of those women, but rather, the one who'd tried to eat him, the one who's organs he held inside himself... Rize Kamishiro...

* * *

**Day 7**

Jason had left once again, and Kaneki had begun to notice something that he should've noticed before... his regeneration was accelerating... at first it would take him a full day to regrow a toe, finger, what have you. Now it only took half the time... Speaking of time he'd begun to lose track of it, some times his consciousness was in that blank, white space with only Rize in front of him, others he was back in reality, being tortured.

His time spent with Rize was a blessing rather than a curse, she wasn't torturing him, no, she told him over and over and over and over and over and over to: 'give in'. She didn't specify what, she just said it, as if he should know what she was talking about... but then, he didn't ask, as he didn't want to know what she was talking about, he just wanted to get out of here, but he knew the chances of that were low... He just wanted to see Eto, Touka, Hinami, Enji, Kaya, and Yoshimura again... but if that wasn't a possibility he wanted to die.

Now, he was once again in that room, the white one that glowed with such brilliance that it almost blinded him, and all he saw was Rize, she was still saying the same thing. She'd been saying it so much that he almost forgot her name was Rize and instead thought it was 'Give in'. Kaneki had finally had enough of it she'd been saying it for 2 day's now, and God was he sick of it... He wanted her to say something else, anything, that she was going to kill him, that she was still alive that she was a ghost, any fucking thing but: 'give in...'

"Give... in... to what?" he groaned out, lowly, almost inaudibly. He wanted to scream it at her, but he didn't have the strength, his voice was soar from screaming in agonizing pain, so it hurt to even speak, however, Rize heard him as low as it was. Then, as if she'd been waiting for this, she'd almost moaned in happiness then, knelt down and gripped his face hard. "Ahhhh... so you can speak... huh?"

Kaneki remained silent, then noticed that a new white speck, that nearly clouded his vision, replace a black one. "Oh my, you're hair... it's gotten so white..." she commented, placing a single finger to a full bottom lip. "It used to be completely black... I guess it's symbolic..."

"What's... symbolic?" Kaneki inquired, panting due to pain.

Rize didn't answer his question, either of them, instead she simply shifted her body to his left and began to whisper in his ear. "You want it to end, right, Ken?" she asked, almost as if she was trying to seduce him, "Then why do you not retaliate? Hmmmm?" she asked, as she began to stand, and lean on his shoulder.

"My mother... always told me it is better to be the one getting hurt... rather than to be the one hurting others..." He smiled then, almost forgetting Rize was next to him, remembering his mother. How kind she was to everyone, how much she loved him, how she never showed a hint of exhaustion, nor a hint of anger, not even when Kaneki misbehaved, not when... that woman took money from them, and not when his father died... Or atleast he thought, he wasn't old enough to remember.

"'Be the one getting hurt, rather than the one hurting others, huh?'" Rize asked, now sitting, using his legs as a support for her back. It almost sounded like Rize admired her kindness, like it was familiar to her, like she knew someone who was like that... However, then she added; "How selfish of her..." Kaneki was surprised, intrigued, and pissed all at the same time.

"What did you say?" He asked, venom, dripping from his voice as his eye's shifted down to her.

She smiled and sighed in somewhat of annoyance, "I said that you're mother is selfish... That's what a coward who let's others walk all over them say... That's weakness... You simply idolized her because... she was all you had, right? Well, she's gone now, because she was a coward."

"You... Shut the fuck up..." Kaneki responded, now livid at her..."

"I'm sorry, Ken, but that's how it was..." She replied, standing up and taking his head in her hands, pinching his cheeks, "Let's take a look shall we..?"

Suddenly, quickly the room around them shifted and they found themselves in a hallway... Kaneki and his mothers old apartment... In front of them was a small boy with black hair, a woman with just as black hair, and another woman who had longer brown hair, arms folded under her breasts, and a single hand extended outwards expecting something.

"Do you remember this?" Rize asked as she walked closer to the young boy.

"That's me... My mother... and... my aunt..."

Rize looked down at the boy, who now had a curious expression on his round, red face. "This was you as a child?" She asked looking back to examine him... "You look exactly the same."

"I remember this..." He said, hauntingly, "This happened every month or so, my aunt would come and ask my mother for money... It was always so taxing on us... I remember when we couldn't even afford water at one point... so we had to use a neighbors house for showers in the morning... She was always working... never stopping, but still she always smiled..." Kaneki chuckled, as Rize returned to his side.

"Then what happened?" She asked, resting a head on his shoulder boredly...

"Then... she died..." The room suddenly changed, it was now an empty church-like building, only a few people in it... and now, the same young Kaneki was there, standing at the casket crying. "I was so young... but I remember it vividly... The smell of her dead body, the way a handkerchief was gently laid on her face... the way that I wanted to shake her to wake her up."

"And do you know why she died, Kaneki?" Rize asked.

"She... overworked herself..."

"Oh come now, you know why, because **I **know why, I am after all a figment of you're own damaged psyche, I'm you... but I'll tell you anyway..." She said as Kaneki found himself, unshackled, back on the chair.

"It's because your mother was weak... Too weak to say no, too weak to fight back, and too weak to handle the stress of her life and raising you... she was selfish... so she gave up... You know it and I know it..."

Kaneki was shaking now, not in rage but rather... he was crying. "Why mother?" he asked no one, "Why did you leave me all alone?"

Rize chuckled. "So you accept that your mother was selfish?"

"...Yes..."

"And that you were her burden?"

"**Yes...**"

"And that you would have gladly watched your aunt die if it meant seeing your mother live and stay with you?"

"**YES!**" 

Kaneki then found himself straddling Rize, tears overflowing in his eye's. The flowers that laid upon the ground, quickly unraveled and grew red, the blood red that he'd been seeing so much of lately. She looked at him, almost aroused at the sudden overtaking as she smiled and her eye's grew red. "So you've decided to accept me?" She asked, panting.

"If I don't then I'm no better than my mother or my aunt... I'll kill anyone who get's in the way of the peace in my life..."

"Hmmmm, that's better..." She said grinning, "Now remember too eat **EEEEEVERY bite.**"

Then, without hesitating, Kaneki tore into her, ripping her flesh and tearing out her meat... She tasted like... like nothing... Like she was just empty, no blood, nothing. And, as he kept tearing into her, his last strand of black hair, turned white...

_I am a **Ghoul**..._


	12. Deities

The armored personal carrier bounced up and down violently as it made it's way along the highway of the 13th ward. It was followed closely, at just the same speed, by other carriers, all headed towards the same place; a cluster of condemned apartment complex's in the ward. Why exactly was it so important that you would have to send this many troops to it? Well, around 10 days ago the CCG received an anonymous tip over the phone. The informant told them that the new, wildly spreading, ghoul organization known as 'Aogiri tree' was situated in said apartments for the time being. When asked how he knew this or who he was, he simply replied with 'This is an **anonymous ** tip, telling you who I am would defeat the purpose, right?' They tried to get footage of the man after tracing the call to a pay phone in the 20th ward, but it was too dark and he wore a cap that shielded his face from view... Still... this opportunity, should it be true, was once in a lifetime. Getting rid of a problem before it even began, that was an ideal opportunity.

However, Koutarou Amon still wasn't too sold on this, it's not that he thought it was a hoax, but rather that he thought it was too perfect, like it was going to end... with more loss than gain. He remembered he'd felt this way about Kureo, his superior, going down to the river, and his feeling was correct, Kureo was murdered. But, Kureo's death was the gateway to a worrying discovery... the 'Owl' was back... The autopsy team examined Mado's wounds, his blood, his severed hands, what have you... It was confirmed that the residue left by the Kagune did indeed match that of those found 10 years ago, before the Owl went into hiding... But why was he back? Why was he in league with the daughter ghoul, the newly dubbed 'Eye-patch' and(possibly) the rabbit? For Amon, too many things made too little sense.

Suddenly, the APC slammed to a halt, causing Koutarou to lurch forward slightly, breaking him from his thoughts. As much as he liked to keep a cool outside, Koutarou always felt nervous before each time he'd have to encounter a ghoul, and his fight with the Eye-patch had left him doubting himself ever since... He still wondered why the ghoul had let him live... he said 'I don't want to kill anyone...' or something along the lines of that, as if he had never done it... but the odds of a ghoul never killing were slim to none... so... what the hell was with him?

A slight static buzzed in _Amon's_ right ear, then a gruff, commanding voice spoke through it, "Alright, everyone pour out!" It was investigator Marude, a man who had rose among the ranks in the CCG, he once led Kureo Mado in the 20th ward, and even mentored Arima Kishou the death god of the CCG. That nickname had actually been given to Arima by ghouls, they would tell stories of him, that he wasn't human, nor ghoul, but something more than either... that simply wasn't the case... Arima's strength wasn't that he was something supernatural but rather... he didn't care, he just fights, whether he lives, dies, or gets hurt is not a concern to him. That, in Koutarou Amon's opinion, is what made him so dangerous.

His group piled out of the APC, thick armor clanging with every step, which was only echoed as hundreds more investigators did the same. Amon always hated the armor it didn't help any, in fact it only got in the way, he always wondered why the CCG bothered Amon had never completely seen supposed ghoul hideout before hand, he didn't care to, a ghoul den was a ghoul den, nothing more, nothing less. Still, the sheer size of the string complex's almost made him tremble, as search lights traced it's figure, hoping to catch glimpses of ghouls hiding in the dark, windowless rooms. It was definitely more than enough to fit a battalion of ghouls in it, it was terrifying, nerve-racking, and exciting all at the same time.

"Firing squad, get into position!" Marude yelled over the headsets, as almost before he finished the first word, said squad moved to the front of the army of CCG agents and found cover behind concrete flower bed's, the contents of which had wilted, and set their weaponry in an aiming position over the beds. Amon had once asked why, if guns had almost no effect on ghouls, that the CCG even bothered with guns. Commander Marude had told him that because, not long after the invention of the quinque, Human's had learned to form Kagune material into bullets, these were called Q-bullets(Quinque bullets) and they were exclusive to Counter Ghoul organization's world wide.

Then, as the men lined up, battle ready, a small flash was from higher in the building, then disappeared and was met with a sharp, violent intake of air, and a rifleman falling down, a gaping hole in his head. Marude saw this, then, less than pleased, he angrily yelled into the mic, "RIOT SHIELDS WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?", prompting the shielding division to move up and cover the firing squads.

A rough hand fell onto Amon's shoulder, making him rock slight under it's strength. He knew that hand well, it was investigator Shinohara's hand, his strength was a testament to his nickname; 'The indomitable Shinohara'.

"Hey, Amon..." He said, pointing over to the building where the shot came from. "They're using fire arms... That's a new one, huh?" He asked, almost as if he were impressed with them, it made Amon sick,_ Monsters using human weapons... disgusting... _Amon thought as a sharp static rang in his ears once again. "Here they come, Fire!"

And, as if ordered by Marude, ghouls by the hundred appeared in the window's all with guns aimed on their human pursuers.

* * *

A single cloaked figure was running down the hallway of one of the many abandoned apartment buildings, frantically breathing behind his smiling demon mask. Guns had gone off and now people were dying, he didn't necessarily have a problem with that, but he didn't want to join them. Nishiki, for once, was finally alone, away from any other Aogiri members and good lord was he thankful for that... He hated this fucking organization, but what choice did he have than to join them? It was that or be killed... or worse... They threatened to kill **her**, to kill Kimi...

Nishiki had known Kimi since she joined the university a year ago, and since then they'd been close... well, as close as one could be considering one was ghoul and one was human... Originally Nishiki used Kimi for a cover, to lure people off thinking he was a ghoul. They did things couples would normally do, go eat, go shopping, fuck, all of that... But he never really saw her as anything but a cover until a month or so ago.

After Kaneki had torn a giant ass hole in his stomach, Nishiki dragged himself back to his dorm, careful to avoid other students, teachers, staff, what have you, to recover. He missed more than a few days of class and his stomach wasn't getting any better... he needed to eat, to feed... That's when Kimi walked in on him, clutching his stomach in agonizing pain, dear God did it hurt like a fucker... She was worried about him, wanted to see if he was doing alright. At first he was grateful... grateful that a food source had presented itself so willingly.

Nishiki leapt on her, wasting no time tearing into her shoulder, savoring the warm, sweet meat. However, she didn't scream, she didn't whimper, she didn't even struggle she let him take her, she let him eat... it was a that moment that he decided... the whole thing was wrong... After that , while he did still eat, he ate very little, and he came to realize that if he'd never been beaten by Kaneki he probably would've killed Kimi, that what he owed him, and that's where he was going now, to retrieve Kaneki from Jason, who(hopefully) should be away, helping defend Aogiri from the CCG.

Nishiki looked ahead, eyeing a corner that he need to take, more Aogiri members could appear at anytime and he'd be ready for them. However, just in case they outclassed him, he had an alibi. He was, after all, under Jason's command, and who wanted to defy that Psycho? It's like he couldn't be fucking hurt, he hunts investigators for fucking **fun**, but in hindsight that was probably a blessing rather than a curse, to be protected(if you were an acceptional underling) by Jason himself. His alibi was that Jason had sent him to tend to Kaneki, and ready him for more torture, and that he should hurry.

As he expected, he saw a maroon clad figure turn the corner, in an equal hurry, they stopped for a moment and got ready to attack, Nishiki, however, was already prepared. The college student leapt thrpugh the air, and released his Kagune, allowing it to break through his cloak and angle at the cloaked figure, who was in the process of releasing their Kagune, but before it even came out, He landed a hard hit with his bikaku onto the opponent sending them flying and knocking their mask off.

* * *

Touka and the others had been hauling ass through one of the many buildings that formed the tree's base of operations. It was her, Yomo, Uta, and Shittyama, the others, being Yoshimura, Kaya, Hinami, and Eto, had stayed behind, hoping to use Irimi and Hinami's acceptional hearing to locate Kaneki, wherever he may be, but now she was laying on the concrete floor after being smacked to shit by a bikaku, one that was all too familiar.

She picked herself up off the ground, to find her assailant, his mask slightly lifted up revealing his face... She knew him, it was clear who he was, that curly hair, those glasses, that annoying face, it was Nishiki. _That... little bastard... _she cursed to herself, _He went and joined Aogiri? Well, at least she finally had a reason to kill him. _

Before she could do anything, however, Nishiki spoke, without shit in his voice for once, "Kirishima?" he asked, surprised. "You're here for Kaneki, right?" He asked, as he retracted his kagune back into his his tailbone area.

At that moment the others caught up to her, apparently she was leaving them behind fast. The first to speak was Yomo, "Touka, slow down, this is what happens when you hurry." the white haired ghoul reprimanded her.

"He's right, you know..." added Shuu, in his annoyingly forced elegant voice, "Calmato..."

"Fuck you." She replied to the purple-haired man, as Uta appeared finally. She then looked to Nishiki, all pain from the kick forgotten, a new determination in her visible eye. "You asked me if we 'Were here to save Kaneki', Right?" She asked, getting closer, "You know where he is, don't you?"

Nishiki nodded, his own face growing serious now, "Yeah, he's in that dome building over there..." Nishiki, informed pointing to a cylinder building with a domed top. "I was just on my way to there... He should be unguarded, considering all Aogiri's heads had been called out to defend from the CCG, so we can go in and take him..."

* * *

Yamori's dress shoes echoed hauntingly through the domed room, every step with a particular glee in it, not so much visual as much audible as he neared Kaneki. The boy's hair, now completely white from pain, now hung limply from his head, bobbing ever so slightly with every silent breath. He'd stopped screaming a while ago, about 3 days, roughly the same time his hair turned completely white. At first Yamori was mad, he'd broken his new toy, but now... he was proud of himself, proud that he had driven the boy mute, that he had been so awful that he couldn't speak, it made him smile... In the past, the brat Yakumo, who he used to be could never do something like this...

His last foot step echoed violently, as he slammed his foot down, hoping to have Kaneki raise his head... he didn't, but Yamori could care less, so he decided to talk. "Mr. Kaneki... The CCG has begun to move in on this place, we can hold out, but probably not for long..." He paused, almost reluctantly, like he didn't want to stop, then spoke again, "Which means our time together has come to an end..." Yamori cracked his index finger, trying to make a more impactful feeling in the room... Kaneki remained silent.

"Now... I'm going to devour you, KA-NE-KI!" He now, feverishly coed, "Let me take all of you!"

His sudden craze was interrupted by a soft, feminine giggle and he watched, staring in wonder as the broken, tortured boy, morphed into a purple haired, attractive young woman, who wore a white dress, letting her bra slip just over the low collar. Yamori knew this woman, he was sent to capture her before... she took something from him... something that he loved, his favorite toy in fact, God he hated her, he hated her immensely, how dare she take from him... **He **takes from **others**.

As her giggling stopped she spoke, a smug grin on her face, "You really are an inconsequential man, aren't you?" She teased, as she then morphed back into the white haired boy. At first Yamori was mad, oh so mad, she teased him even in death? But then he realized... only two people ever made him feel this way... **That **investigator... Rize... and by extension... Kaneki..." His frown turned into an open mouth smile as he let out a few breathy laughs, "Kanekiiiiiiii, you really are **amaaaaaaazzzzzinnnnngggggggg!**" HE complemented, as his two rinkaku shot out from his lower back. They were like pine cones, but more noodle like, having red tips on the end of an otherwise neon blue body. They angled themselves then, ready to tear into Kaneki... They would have ripped him too shreds too, if Kaneki had not retaliated...

The sounds of breaking chains echoed through the air and then, almost too fast too see, Kaneki leapt over Jason's head, landing on his upper back and swinging part of the broken chain over his head and onto Jason's meaty neck. His torturer had neglected to regularly administer that suppressant... and now he was going to pay dearly for it. Kaneki pulled back, making the metal dig into Jason's neck, choking him due to Kaneki's returning strength. The now white haired ghoul leaned down to the mans ear and said, almost hauntingly, "I'm going to make you scream."

Jason, now angry at being so embarrassed, used his weight to throw Kaneki over his head, relieving himself of pain and letting his throat pass air. He watched as Kaneki effortlessly land on his feet and then, casually whip a red stain from his pale lips. Yamori then, felt a sharp, itching pain on his temple, then a thick liquid roll down it... he moved a finger to the source and found a crater of wet flesh. "You... bit me..." He said, almost in disbelief... He felt how he felt when he was being tortured, small, naked, helpless. No, he refused to be that again, he refused to be Yakumo.

"Disgusting..." Kaneki commented, "You taste like rotting fish entrails on the verge of spilling..." Yamor was angry now, he was being taunted... He hated being looked down upon, that's why he became strong, that's why he tortured others, to prove he was no longer weak... and now this... this... **wimp** was making a fool of him, No, he refused to accept it as a reality, he would kill him, then desecrate his corpse and then eat him.

Kaneki jumped as Jason shot his appendages at him again, causing him to twist in the air around them and then, to follow it up, Kaneki tried to land a kick, which jason caught. The man twisted his hand on Kaneki's leg, digging his fingers in and holding tightly. "I'm not letting go!" he yelled, confident in beating Kaneki now. The, almost as if it were his original intention, Kaneki twisted his body around, causing the captured leg to twist, making the skin and meat tare open and used the knee of his free leg to smack Yamori in his temple and send him flying.

Yamori wasted no time picking himself up, he looked over to Kaneki, blood dripping from his head furiously now... "You were so weak before... How are you so strong now!?" he demanded an answer. Kaneki simply looked down, watched as his mangled leg fixed it self and then lazily swung it twice, making sure he could move it correctly, then looked back up at him. "It's simple...I've always been this strong... I was so afraid of getting hurt that I was easy to beat... now... I can fight because... I don't feel a fucking thing anymore..."

Jason, upon being told Kaneki's new found ferocity was his doing(more implied), Began screaming in anger as a new shape over too his back and the right side of his Torso. "I'll kill you, I'll kill you, I'll kill you, I'll kill you..!" He chanted, mindlessly as the substance pulled back the corners of his mouth and covered his now darkening eye's. Then a loud slam, and a big, meaty arm laid out, in front of Jason, much bigger than his own... It was connected to jason... like a suit of armor and only served to make him bigger.

Kaneki almost scoffed... all it would do is provide a slight cushion for his blows.

* * *

Eto stood next her father watching the CCG overtake the ghouls after a certain, quite young, member had ran a motorcycle through an open window and cleared the room of ghouls, she had rapped herself in bandages and now wore a purple dress that was tight around the midriff, with the skirt being tattered at the ends and slightly protruding outward. Hinami and Irimi were in the back, listening for any signs of Kaneki...

She broke the silence, looking towards her father, "So, who's going to be the Owl this time?" She asked, already knowing the answer to the question... If at all possible, Her father always played the Owl, even though it was actually she who bore the name... sometime ago, when she ran away, after she'd attack CCG headquarters in the 20th ward, her father lost his arms to a certain investigator going by the name of Kishou Arima. She herself had never encountered the man, though he was feared, and, had she still been rampaging after that incident, she most certainly would have, but now she could care less...

"I am..." Yoshimura replied, as his sclera darkened and his pupil grew red, "I'll give you time to go search for Kaneki and draw the attention of the CCG away from you... don't cause a ruckus in there, or the illusion we've maintained for the last 10 years will shatter..." He warned, looking over to her.

Eto nodded once and then replied, "I know, I know, this isn't the first time we've had to do that, you know..." She replied, not her usual cheery self... certainly Kaneki's abduction had affected them all, but Eto never acted quite so... mild before... It was concerning.

"Eto..." he began, looking at her with kind eye's(as kind as one could be when your eye's were that black) "We will rescue Kaneki, you don't think I've taken notice but I have... I may be old... by I can smell you on him..."

Eto said nothing, she simply kept her eye's on the cluster of complex's watching the Investigators march in, looking for ghouls. "Well," She sighed, sounding a little more upbeat, "I guess I should start searching. myself, huh?"

* * *

Kaneki leapt away as Jason rushed him, swinging that thick meaty appendage of his. Kaneki noticed right away he was losing his cool, he didn't plan his attaxks he simply swung his arm, thinking that he could hit Kaneki with it, having Kaneki prove him wrong each time as he either jumped, ducked, or slid under it. Still, though, he could tell it was not something he wanted to run into, he had an idea of what it could do and, while pain was a simple numbness to him now, it would do something. In hindsight maybe there was somewhat of a disadvantage to not being able to feel pain, pain is your friend, it tells you when your limits are being reached and when you should give up... However, Kaneki didn't want to retreat, he just wanted to make Jason suffer.

He bound over another clumsy swing and landed, crouch position, in front of the physically imposing ghoul, then roughly, shoved his fist onto the mans stomach, making sweat beads fly off, some smacking Kaneki in the face, causing the ghoul to stall slightly. Still, it wasn't quite enough to knock him back, as he, not a second later, peirced Kaneki through the abdomen and then, like some major league pitcher, threw him against the wall. Kaneki was like a black and white blur as he sped towards the thick concrete and pierced it, causing a slight crater... It was all so... funny... to the half-ghoul. He wasted no time getting up and somewhat lazily walked out of the whole, a sick grin on his face.

Jason had a shit eating grin on his mouth, it was the only part of his face visible at the moment, however, when he heard the chains rattle, and saw Kaneki calmly walk out of the hole in the wall his blood began to boil. He was being mocked, he was being looked down upon, he was being called weak. How dare they? How dare Kaneki taunt him, he make him suffer even more now.

Kaneki looked up at him, eyes slightly widened and his mouth in a thin smile as he tilted his head, causing his snow white hair to bob. "That was it?" he asked as he brought his right had up close to his face, "Let me show you how to really hurt someone..." Then, subconsciously really, he pressed his thumb down on his index finger, sending a sharp crack through the air and from his back, pushing his black top up, rocketed out his Kagune which then, like a cobra ready to strike, angled itself towards Jason.

The bigger ghoul let out a sharp, angry, labored grunt as he thrust his arm towards Kaneki, who was slightly surprised to see it extend as if it were a scene from a 3-D movie. However, the ghoul ducked under it and used the time it took for it to recoil to get to Jason. The blond ghoul was defenseless as Kaneki closed in, his kagune almost salvating to tare into Jason... and tare in it did.

The big ghoul let out an agonizing wail as Kaneki pierced him through, lifted him up in the air and slammed him down on the concrete. Then, Kaneki began to run, dragging Jason behind him, kicking up clouds of dust as he dragged the built ghoul around, who was struggling to stop his body from being scraped against the floor. Then, the hybrid abruptly stopped, slamming his feet down hard on the tiled floor and removed his appendages from Jason, letting momentum do the rest.

The big ghoul tumbled forward, his body like a rag doll against the floor bouncing up and down, until sometime during his tumbling his feet hit solid ground and he used the resistance to push himself back towards his once weak victim. "GAAAAANEEEEGIIIIII!" He slurred, his vision and mind clouded by a primal rage which focused on one thing... revenge.

This time, instead of dodging, Kaneki decided to take the attack on at full force with his own Kagune, he met Jason half way and pushed against the giant arm. The force between the two canceled each other out, Kaneki noticed this and decided on a new tactic. He lowered himself under the arm, letting it fly over him and then placed himself closer to the center and, with great force pushed up on the arm.

A sharp cracking sound was heard as the arm began to bend, then, for the final push, Kaneki tore right through the arm, causing it to fly like a noodle flung by a toddler who didn't know any better... and then, with as much strength as he could, Kaneki came down upon Jason, using the weight of his Kagune to floor him.

When the dust settled, and the air had quieted down, Kaneki found himself sitting on the center of Jason's back... Now he was in control... an he would make his tormentor suffer dearly. He could feel the ghoul shaking underneath him... shaking in fear... like a scared child or a cat who had been spooked by a thunderclap. "You know, Jason..." he began, as he cracked his fingers, causing Jason to jolt slightly at the sound, "I imagined ever so vividly what I'd do to you... I'd kill you, desecrate your remains, and then string you up by your entrails from a stop sign... that's what I wanted... but... I can't... What you told me about your mother, how she was killed... I feel a similar way, so killing you would in a way be like killing me..." Kaneki explained, calmly, like he was explaining a math problem to Hide, "Besides if I kill you just for hurting me... then I'm no better than you are..."

Kaneki could have sworn he felt Jason relax under him... and that pissed him off._ You think you're out of it? No, you will still be in pain, you will still suffer._ The hybrid then roughly grabbed Jason's square jaw and jerked his head towards him, prompting the once dominant ghoul to whimper like a dog. "But I wasn't lying when I said I was going to make you scream..."

Then, roughly, mercilessly, Kaneki stuck his upper right Kagune into Jason's right wrist, prompting a scream from him. It was a loud, deafening scream, one that made Kaneki want to laugh in joy, but he wouldn't... that would make him mortal to Jason... and right now, to Jason, Kaneki was **God**, and a vengeful, angry God at that... And Jason had committed the worst of sins. Kaneki repeated this motion, using his upper left tentacle to pierce his left wrist and vice versa on the ghouls tendons... he let out that wonderful scream each time... the one that made Kaneki feel so great.

Kaneki then cracked his fingers once more, and asked a question, calmly, robotically. "What's 1000 - 7?" He felt Yamori jerk slightly in anger, and in response, Kaneki began twisting his Tentacles agonizingly on the inside of Jason's wounds, agitating the raw meat that rested with in... What he saw next made him grin so big... Yamori was... was crying... The sight was almost like a new high for Kaneki, seeing the water trails down his face, his pathetic whimpers of a trapped animal, his body jittering under him in horror... It was perfect, this is what Jason deserved, this is what Kaneki was going to deliver... He wasn't God... in this moment... he was the world and Jason was Atlas, the titan from greek mythology who was sentenced to holding the world on his shoulders as punishment.

Jason answered his question between sobs, "993... 986... 979..." Jason Carried on like this as Kaneki smacked his hand against his head twice, lossening up the resting centipede, who Kaneki had just now noticed was violently biting in his ear, trying to make him stop his sporadic movements. Then, as if picking out earwax, He grabbed the centipede by the tail and ripped it out, letting it dangle between his fingers... Blood now seeped from his ear as he lowered himself over Jason, bringing his Mouth close to his Kagune.

"You tried to eat me..." Kaneki told him, still twisting his tentacles, while Yamori continued his count, "So... you have no right to complain... if **I **eat **you**, right?" Then without any further words he bit into Jason's Kagune.

_Shit, awww it's gross, I want to vomit, this is hell, dammit, I need it though, nothing tastes worse, it's hell... it's pure hell..., horrible, chomp, chew, chomp, chew, chomp, chew, chomp, chew, chomp, chew, chomp chew. _And then with that, Kaneki swallowed, throwing his head back, eye's closed, as blood trickled from his mouth. Ghouls tasted worse than human food, but he needed to do this, he felt a primal need to do it, or else he couldn't get strong, that's what his instincts were telling him. Then, he looked back down, starring at the now pouring wound... apparently, during his bite, Yamori had been screaming, but he stopped now... and Kaneki found himself eating again.

* * *

Now, after he ate Yamori's kagune he was leaving, heading to find Touka's older brother, to give him the same treatment? Why? He didn't do Kaneki any harm, but it wasn't that, he caused one of his friends pain, and anyone who would hurt them would be punished. All the while he heard Yamori babbling even as he left, incoherent, nonsensical things. "I am... jay- no... I am... I am Yamo- no... I am Jamori? Yason? No, no no..." He was mumbling, Kaneki didn't have time for it... he needed to get going and... as he closed the door, Jason said one final thing, "I- I am... Yakumo..."


	13. 103

Her feet slapped against the cracked concrete underneath her making a loud smack that was soon overtaken by another smack as she ran down an old, dusty corridor following Nishiki and the others. After the incident with the corner, Yomo had forced her to stay in the back with Uta. Nishiki had lead them to the domed building, however he was a little apprehensive about actually entering it, it was subtle but Touka saw it, he stuttered in his movements when he opened the door. What was his motivation for helping them? Why was he bothering with Kaneki? These were the questions were most prominent on Touka's mind... she saw what Kaneki did, he butchered Nishiki, he left him hanging like a pinata... Did Nishiki hate Aogiri that much or... was it something else entirely?

Suddenly, abruptly, the others stopped, almost causing Touka to fall over due to lack of preparedness, she stumbled forward a bit before gaining her balance and looking ahead, to see why Nishiki stopped. There was a clean, white door in front of them, with a black door knob. It shined like a beacon in the gray, dull, hallways of the structure, something like an item one would find in a video game, that, as silly as it was, was a proper analogy if you asked Touka. She looked to Nishiki, who stood looking at the door way, almost shaking with fright... Why? Why was he scared for? Touka frowned, it made her uneasy and she hated it... but even more so, she hated being kept in the dark. "Hey, shitty- Nishiki!" she hissed, in a low tone, "What's wrong..?"

She heard Nishiki gulp, his shaky sigh, and his body shake as he tried to speak, then, as if it were the end of his world he replied, "Jason's in there... I can smell him..." Yomo looked over to the college student, studying him for a moment, then to the door, as if he could see through it, like he was trying to figure out what exactly was behind that door. Then, grabbing Nishiki's shoulder and pulling him back, Yomo roughly kicked the white door of it's hinges, sending it flying into a dark room, the only visible parts in it was what was revealed by the dim lighting from the hallway. There was then a powerful smell that wafted into Touka's nose, assaulting her nostrils with a tasty smell, and at that moment her heart sank... It was blood, Kaneki's blood... She didn't know why but she felt like she couldn't stand, the worst possible images appeared in her mind, Kaneki's dead body, mutilated, stripped, cut up, hung... It made her shiver with rage and sadness...

Then, Nishiki slipped his hand in the doorway and began groping the wall for something, finally a click sounded, followed by sets of bright, booming lights exploding to life, to illuminate the room... It was massive, the floor stretched out a good ways to the other side of the room, like the outside, the ceiling was high, bearing steel beams that resembled a bird cage, and on one side there was a platform accompanied by two ramps with a single door, made of concrete in shark contrast with the clean room... Well... clean wasn't actually the right word for it... In the center, there was a small, wooden chair, covered in blood, with broken chains on at it's feet, next to it were two buckets, dripping with blood. But what caught Touka's attention the most was the big, collapsed form of a crazed babbling ghoul, who was in a fetal position on the floor, covered in blood his hair dampened with it, his eye's barley open and his body quivering in fear. It was that man... the one who took Kaneki

"What the hell..." Nishiki murmured in disbelief as he walked over to the floored man, his fear replaced by curiosity. Tsukiyama went over to the chair, where the blood was and the buckets. He then, almost impatiently stuck his finger into a pool of blood and stuck it in his mouth... It made Touka sick, only that pervert would do that, but it also pissed her off, it was undoubtedly Kaneki's blood, he just wanted the taste. However, to her surprise, he frowned, clear annoyance on his face. "This is Kaneki's blood... but it's stale, like he hasn't been here for a while..."

"What do you mean, he left? He escaped?" Touka asked, almost hopeful, but still confused. However Nishiki answered for Tsukiyama, kneeling in front of the shaking Jason. "No... I don't think that's it... I was in here a few days ago... Jason would have his subordinates clean off Kaneki every now and again to prep him for torturing... It was either that... or he kills us... but, he didn't look like he was going anywhere at the time... Maybe Jason knows..." He informed as he reached a hand to touch Jason, who shifted his head slightly in reply.

"Jason... where is Kaneki?" Nishiki asked the shaking man, as he looked up at him. Jason's reply was... strange... to say the least. "Ja-son?" He asked, voice light and confused like that of a child, "Who is Jason? My name is-is Yakumo..." Nishki furrowed his brow in confusion, clearly someone had come in... someone able to beat Jason within an inch of his life and make him breakdown like this... and Nishiki wanted to know who... "Fine then... Yakumo... Who did this to you?"

Suddenly, with great force, Jason or Yakumo rather pulled Nishiki close ans began to speak, as if he were giving an angry lecture. "Who? Who indeed, surely it couldn't have been him, he had the same face but his hair was white. He was strong, so strong, I cried, I begged... I was tortured. What's 1000- 7? No, no, not now, now is time for answers..." Then, Jason pulled Nishiki down and spoke directly into his ear, but loud enough so that everyone could hear him. "It was Kaneki..."

Nishiki froze, did he hear that right? Kaneki did this to Jason, he was the one who turned him into this bloody mess? What the hell was going on? Kaneki couldn't hurt a damn fly if he wanted to, his own fight with Kaneki disregarded, but that was Nishiki's own carelessness. But... somehow he managed to do this to Jason? It was absurd, how could a wimp like him do that? Nishiki then looked over to Touka, who had a similar expression of disbelief on her face, her eye's wide with a mix of Horror and surprise. She looked back and shrugged.

Nishiki stood up and walked away from Jason to the others and began the conversation. "I don't understand... How could Kaneki do that to someone like Jason..." He looked back over his shoulder to see the well-built ghoul shaking in insanity... "What **did **he do to him?" From the center of the room Shuu responded, with a more than morbid tone, but morbid wans't quite the word... it was more... jealous. "I don't know what Kaneki did to him, but I have an Idea of what Jason did to him for Kaneki to respond like that." The group looked over to Shuu, and watched as he nudged over two buckets with a single foot. From them spilled severed toes and fingers, surrounded by fly's and coated by coagulated blood.

Touka felt her head grow lighter and lighter... It was disgusting, horrifying, God there must have been hundreds in there, just how much did this bastard torture him? Just how much did Kaneki go through before he snapped like this? Suddenly Uta spoke up, almost as if he didn't just hear the news, "We should go, the CCG will be here soon." "Yeah," agreed Yomo, "We'll find Kaneki later... right now it's to dangerous to stay here..."

"Hold on, there's something else we need to check..." Nishiki responded as he began walking to the platform on the other side of the room.

* * *

Ayato was on his own now, the last of his immediate group gunned down by the CCG foot soldiers. Those Q- bullets were beginning to piss him off, leave it to humans to desecrate another species and use the remains against said species, he wanted to vomit... But then it wouldn't be quite as fun killing them would it? The dark haired teen ran across the old, gray, dirty room, narrowly escaping the hail of bullets that hunted him. He had to wonder, as he escaped the bullets, where the hell Yamori was... Probably playing with his new toy still. He only did what people wanted when Tatara ordered him too, and, while he didn't intentionally piss him off, Ayato didn't like him. Ayato outclassed him by a full rank, but he didn't know if he **could** beat him... He had a terrifying healing factor and his resilience to pain was borderline supernatural... he'd love to meet anyone who could keep him down.

Then, Ayato pivoted on his most recent step, carefully calculating his pursuers position. The two armored grunts were standing, legs spread, and weapons amateurishly held at their hips, they'd seen one two many action movies. However, the spray of the bullets was dangerous, completely covering the wall behind him. So, using his sunset colored wings, he covered himself in the gas-like kagune, wrapping it around his body like a blanket, and rushed them.

The bullets normally would have passed right through his Kagune, but they couldn't pass through it when it was rotating at high speed. So that's what Ayato did, he had his winds spin around him, keeping him safe from his hunters and their weapons as he slowly forced his way towards them. He could tell that they were panicking now, Ayato wasn't exactly a slouch when came to record of the CCG, SS-rating, multiple investigators killed, he was practically untouchable as well, making him a high priority to eliminate for these bastards.

Then, as he got within arms distance of the two soldiers, he unfolded his wingspan, and angled both just right to decapitate the two. He often wondered what it was like for humans, being utterly helpless before another creature as it mangled you and drained the life from your body. Then, with a wet chopping sound, the heads flew from their body's and the two forms lifelessly flopped to the ground, as if they were puppets and their strings had just been cut. One of the two's body still twitched slightly, his trigger finger still pulling at a nonexistent lever, in hopes to fire off more rounds. It made him wonder even more... how helpless he felt when Ayato severed his head.

Suddenlt, the 14 year old felt a looming presence behind him. The presence was incredibly tangible, it felt like a ghost was standing behind him, it sent chills down his body and he began developing goose bumps. But what was scary wasn't necessarily the presence, but more so... how he got behind Ayato without him noticing. Then hoping to recreate his attack on the CCG agents, Ayato twisted around, straightening his wing out flat and sharp, adding, for good measure, his arm in front of it, to help guide it. He would regret that decision...

Ice cold fingers coiled around his wrist, then, he felt a just as cold palm press against his elbow, the contradiction between forces, and the superior pull on the wrist, caused Ayato's fore arm to bend backwards at the elbow... He never quite felt a pain like that before, sure he'd been hurt, but never in his life had he suffered a broken bone, it was like lightening racing inside your arm, filling it with both life and death at the same time. The pain made Ayato lose his concentration and as a result, his kagune dissipated into a blood red RC mist. Then, with the force of a semi-truck, a pair of red appendages slammed him into the floor of the room, sending him straight through to the next floor, then the next floor, then the next floor, until finally... with a great shattering pain Ayato landed in the inside courtyard of the building, under a low roof that hid him from the moonlight that showered in, illuminating dead tree's and old, decayed furniture.

Ayato tried opening his eye's, to catch a glimpse of his assailant, however the only thing that greeted him was the blur of concrete as a tentacle wrapped around his ankle and threw him into the moon light, against an elevated in door tree bed, making it crack. The impact was clearly less forceful than before, but it still stunned Ayato none the less. The boy watched as from the shadows emerged a small, thin figure, hair whiter than the moon that lit most of the area, his skin pale and dirty, bruised and cut in some areas, then skin around his wrist and ankles were somewhat raw from friction, and his left eye held a pulsing, menacing, blood red kakugan that centered solely on Ayato.

"What the fuck?" He asked, broken arm forgotten, as he leaned forward slightly, "You're that Kaneki guy Touka was hanging out with when I busted in... Aren't you suposed to be being tortured?" Suddenly realization set in, Ayato felt his blood lose heat and his stomach disappear as he put the pieces together. "Shit... you... you killed Jason?!" He called, as if it had to be some sort of joke, it must be right? There's no way in hell that this little shit-stain could hurt Jason, right... but Jason wouldn't let him go... would he?

"Kill?" Kaneki asked, his unsettlingly calm voice asked as he looked at Ayato with disinterest, "No, I thought about it... believe me I did... but I would be as just as bad as him if I did..." There was an unnerving silence for a moment and then Kaneki grinned, ever so slightly. "I only tortured him until he was on the brink of sanity... that's all, whether or not he dies now is his own fault..."

"You... You little fucker!" the younger ghoul roared as he remade his Kagune and began firing purple-red shards at the ghost of a man. It was terror, unbelievably world shattering when Kaneki calmly walked right through the hail of feathers, some actually managing to pierce his arms, but it was like he was a sponge or something, he just took it like it was a pinch, like it was just the wind. God, it was impossible, everything felt pain right, RIGHT?! _No, he's not doing this, he's not fucking doing this, I refuse, I absolutely refuse to believe that he's not FUCKING HURT!_

Then, casually, but painfully, Kaneki shoved a hard kick into the area just below Ayato's ribcage, once again destroying the ghouls Kagune, forcing it into red mist. Then, as if he was trying to calm him with that cool, calm voice of his Kaneki knelt down and spoke to him. "Don't worry Ayato your punishment won't be nearly as bad as Jason's... But that's not to say it won't be bad..."

"What... did I do to you?" Ayato panted out. It was an honest question, sure he helped capture them but he never really caused Kaneki any physical pain, no he avoided him like the plague... It was his face... it reminded him so much of his father, his shitty, weak father, he wanted nothing to do with him... So why was he going after him...

"You're right..." Kaneki confirmed, as he flexed his rinkaku slightly, "But this is not about me... This is for Touka and Banjou..." He explained looking down with a tinge of anger.

"What?"

"You broke Banjou's arm and who knows how much emotional pain you've caused Touka... So that can not go un-punished... Now, I thought about how I was going to punish you, I really did, I thought about it while I beat Jason to the brink of death...But, for you I decided since you are Touka's brother that I would only punish you. Then I decided while I won't kill you... I'd half Kill you... That's when you do something that, if you did so completely, would end the life of the victim... At first I thought about destroying your organs... but that would require tedious picking out of them and I don't have that kind of time to be honest with you... So it was down to bones, I couldn't do your lower or upper half as those seperations aren't equal, so I decided to do it mirrored. I'm not too well versed in ghoul anatomy, but if ghouls and humans are as similar in structure as they appear then they are almost identical on the left and right sides of the body, also they each have the same amount of bones: 206, I decided to break 103... that up there was two, the forearm is comprised of two bones... So, starting now, Ayato Kirishima, I'm going to break the remaining 101 bones in your right side. Then, with a crack of his pale finger... he began.

"Starting from the arm..." Kaneki explain as he gripped Ayato's limp hand tightly, the one attached to his broken arm ad pulled up roughly, causing him to gasp in annoyance. "We'll begin with the hands first, breaking your fingers then, working our way down to your torso then down your legs, right?" Then he began breaking them. Ayato's screams were loud, deafening, but he hardly heard them as Kaneki punished him like a machine. All he could do was listen as Kaneki explained what he was doing to him. "But, actually, before we begin, I have a question for you..." Kaneki said, matter-of-factly, a single finger in the air as he looked down at Ayato, who didn't respond. "Who is the leader of Aogiri..?"

"Fuck off-" Kanek planted a foot on Ayato's cheek and began applying pressure to it, making Ayato squirm. "Dammit, Ok, Ok... He's the One eye'd Owl..." Kaneki stopped then, cracked his index finger, "Thank you, Ayato... Now let's begin..."

"There's one bone in the pinky called the 'Ulna'." **CRACK. **"The one on the thumb I'm about to break is called the radius." **CRACK. **"The hand bones are split into three different bones; Carpus, Metacarpus, and Phalanges." **CRACK CRACK CRACK. **"There are eight bones making up the carpal croup: the Pisiformtriquetrum, Lunate, Scaphoid, Hamate, Capitate, Trapezoid, Trapezium." **CRACK CRACK CRACK CRACK CRACK CRACK CRACK CRACK. **"These bones are all clustered together so they can all be broken together as well." He then shifted his hands into a new position. "The meta-carpals are numbered from 1-5... " After this Ayato's ears only focused on his own screams and the sounds of his bones breaking, it was more or less hell... all he knew for sure was that at this moment it hurt to be alive.

* * *

Koutarous Amon stood, legs planted firmly on the ground as he swung his new quinque, Kura, created for his mentor, Kureo Mado, and given to him as a will testament of sorts, saying that it was too heavy for him and would be used better in Koutarou's hands if any at all. The blade was a dark red, much like his previous club-inspired weapon, it also had a single pulsing red circle in the center where the blade would split into for duel wielding, but Amon hadn't run into a situation that quite called for that yet, and he quite frankly hoped he wouldn't.

So far the CCG was fortunate, especially with that Juuzou kid and his borderline suicidal ways. Only he would drive a motorcycle into a ghoul infested building then manage to kill them all with a single fire arm, never the less it was very impressive.

Another ghoul came at Amon who then backed up a bit allowing the ghouls own weight to make him stumble so the investigator wouldn't have to use unnecessary energy on scum like this one. However, a single blue tentacle shot out in between the two, blocking the swing of Kura and saving the ghoul from certain death. Then another tentacle came, hoping to decapitate **Koutarou **in exchange, whom of which expertly dodged it and pulled back his Kura, hoping to bat it away, however the tail retracted itself back towards it's caster as did the other.

It wasn't good news at all when the culprit, or culprits rather, revealed themselves... Two purple cloaked ghouls, wearing nearly Identicle masks, the only difference was that one had a 'P' shaped marking on it and the other wore a more complex design. It didn't take long for Amon to discover who these two infamy's were... The Tailed brothers, that's what the CCG called them, they work in tandom, nearly exact copies of one another, same movements, same Kagune, same eerie feel... Koutarou's grip on Kura tightened as he gritted his teeth, and sweat dripped down his face, against any other pair he may be able to win, but against these two... combined with the forces of Aogiri behind them... there was only one option.

Amon slid his finger over a button, clicking it, activating Kura's secondary mode. The red dot in the center became somewhat of a knife and spread down the center of the quinque, splitting it in two. Then using his extraordinary strength, Amon pulled it apart at the handles. It was harder than one would expect, like some super magnet was keeping it bound together. He then shifted his stance to a more suitable one in an attempt to better use the two blades.

"Oh my, Bin, look..." One pointed out, it was hard to tell which, those masks gave no hint of emotion at all, maybe that was the Idea, making it seemed like you were fighting something immortal, something without the ability to feel pain, fear, anything besides the desire to kill or eat... In a way it was genius, genius because it was working.

"Yes... that's a special one isn't it... too bad it's being wielded by such a cocky one... I hate unnecessary bravado don't you, Bin?" said the other(unless one was just insane) as they began doing an odd dance shifting positions one behind the other.

"Indeed..." Then they rushed, using their little dance in an effect to confuse Amon. He wasn't going to fall prey to it it was far too amateurish for him to fall too, besides, every single one of their maneuvers had been documented and shown to CCG investiagtors... Amon had studied it and he knew exactly how to deal with it. Then, in a twist of events the two leapt to either side, changing their routine up drastically. Amon didn't know how to counter this, not at all, he didn't account for it, so in a foolish effort to guard either side he threw his arms out to his sides, hoping to fight each one with a single hand.

Then... the brothers stopped, placed hands on their ears remained as statues. Then, almost annoyed they straightened, pulled their Kagunes into their backs once more... and left... It was like they never appeared at all, it was so strange it seemed like a bad joke to Amon, who looked dumb founded... Even the Aogiri memebers looked confused behind their masks... what the hell was going on?

Then, suddenly, violently, the building began to rock. It was like, for Amon, watching a Godzilla movie as a child when the monster would walk in the ity making buildings crumble... Then a loud voice rang out in his ear, it was Marude's and what he heard made his heart skip a beat... "Shinohara, get out of there, It's the Owl!" All sound faded from Amon's ears then a figure plummeted through the floor above him and landed dead center in the middle of the room... He was big, his mask was the color of bone, his hair gray and a single eye pulsing on the left side... He wore a hood that covered him generously... but in Amon's case it was not generous enough, Because it laid bare the giant, muscular blades hung from his shoulders and the menacing spines that covered his upper back... All in all he was massive, he looked like a monster out of greek mythology... There was no wonder that he was so feard... The One-eye'd Owl...

* * *

Hinami stood at the top of a shadowy hill, the cold wind that carried sounds of fighting and the smell of freshly spilled blood both ghouls and humans alike. The wind blew her short brunette hair in front of her brown eye's as she scanned the complex... there was no one on the outside anymore, all the fighting had moved to the interior, and that made Hinami worried as she couldn't clearly tell what was going on anymore. The manager had told her that he was going to draw the attention away from the others... then left...

Irimi on the other hand could tell perfectly what was transpiring on the inside, and she seemed rather calm... but behind it there laid a heavy worry... she could hear what Kaneki was doing to Ayato now... Despite the youngers rebellious nature, his attitude, and his rude way towards everyone, she still did help race him, that's why she shuddered every time she heard Kaneki count and then the sickening crack followed by his blood-curdling screams of pain, and his crazed swearing of vengeance. And then... there was nothing...

* * *

"That makes 103..." Spoke Kaneki, regardless of weather or not Ayato could hear him... chances are he couldn't, but Kaneki it didn't matter really, all that mattered was that Ayato learned his lesson. "We're done now Ayato..." Spoke Kaneki, like a doctor who had just administered a shot to a screaming child who had during the time rebelled with all his might as the assistants held him down and allowed the needle to push in. Ayato now laid on the floor blood laying on him, his mouth agape with a mindless drool seeping down his cheek. _I should get going... I need to go back to the others..._

The sound of guns rattling from behind him caught his attention now, prompting his head to turn over his back to look at the new arrivals. There were three CCG soldiers there, guns aimed on Kaneki, some shaking others staring in confusion. He could hear them muttering 'What do we do? This ghoul just took down another ghoul for us..?', 'No, it's a ruse, kill him...' Until finally, the one Kaneki assumed held the authority in the trio, opened his mouth. "Fir-"

He had been interrupted by a huge gaping mouth, attached to a worm like body that had swallowed the mans head whole. The other two were not much different as their now torsoless remains flopped to the floor. Kaneki then twisted his head back around, too get a look at their murderer. He was tall, easily towering above most ghouls, Jason included, he still appeared quite thin though and his hair was a light red, almost neon, tied in to a ponytail and it still fell down his back. But, the most notable feature was his mask... It was a big, toothy smile that easily covered more that fifty percent of his face... Kaneki had seen him before, when he met Tatara before Jason took him, his name was-

"No-ro..." Groaned out Ayato, barley conscious as Noro's Kagune wrapped around him and pulled him back... _It seems like I'm going to have to fight again... _Thought Kaneki, almost annoyed at the idea of it, but nevertheless his red, scaled, Kagune crawled out of his back. He had to fight he had to fight, fight to protect everyone, Eto, Touka, Hinami, he wouldn't let anyone cause them pain... Then... a hand gently fell on his shoulder, he could feel it was soft underneath his tattered black shirt, it was calming and warm and he almost relaxed. Quickly his head twisted, a crazed look in his eye's like he was ready to kill... He almost hated himself when he realized. The green hair, the eye's, the soft pretty face, and the smile that graced her lips. It was like seeing a ghost, he in fact, didn't realize how much he wanted to see her until now, then he muttered out the name, "Eto..."

Eto smiled a slight, happy smile. She wanted to smile brighter but she couldn't bring herself to do so to be honest... That look in his eye's was horrifying it was that of a deranged man, looking for his next victim. Then, softly, calmly, she pulled used her hands to trace his face, feeling his skin... It was cold, a strong contrast as to when he was warm, so warm, perhaps that's why she had grown so fond of holding him while they slept.

She watched as he slowly fell to his knee's under her touch, then she whispered: "It's OK now, Ken... You can stop fighting..." He looked up at her, surprised first, then confused as if her words were unintelligible, it didn't take a smart person to figure out that he was almost dumbfounded by the concept of 'not fighting', It tore at her, because she also had a similar feeling at a younger age. Then reluctantly she pulled her hands from his face and walked past him, towards the tall, mute ghoul.

"I'll be fighting for you this time." And with that, a single large blade ripped out of her left shoulder, it's base pulsing red with the enormity of RC cells running through it and from her right shoulder emerged a single black wing, which curled slightly aiming at the ghoul. Kaneki had never seen her Kagune before, but figured it would make since that she was an Ukaku, she was fast, so much so that she was hard to keep track of... It was strange, up until that moment he'd always felt he'd need to protect her, despite her clear dominance over him... but now he felt that... Eto didn't need protection... others needed protection from her.

Suddenly a loud, but muffled, ringing emitted from Noro. It rang twice before he reached into his coat and pulled out a large digital clock. It was bland, it had a gray frame and big blue screen. He looked at it calmly for a moment, then placed it back, turned and began to leave.

It was just Eto and Kaneki now, standing in silence, the smell of Ayato's blood evident in the air around them. Eto's kagune retracted, and when it did, Kaneki actually looked at her attire, he'd never seen it before, she was wrapped in skin tight bandages which showed off her petite form well, over that she wore a purple, hooded dress, the hood bore animal ears that flopped down lazily on the side. Her face had hint's of bandaging as well, but those were loose, like she'd ripped them off.

Then The building began to shake, sounds of explosions filled the air and the sounds of screaming was heard. Eto tuned to Kaneki and began walking towards him, trying to pick him up... Kaneki refused... He batted her hands away gently, he refused to be of any hindrance to anyone any longer. Then, looking at her almost apologetically, Kaneki smiled a sad smile and said, as if to calm her, "I can walk... I feel fine..."... It did anything but.

* * *

Yoshimura looked back at the buildings as they collapsed, he had barley made it out himself. It was almost a waist to him, having announced his presence only to be upstaged by a trap set by the members of Aogiri. However, at the same time, he was thankful... He didn't want to kill anyone. Then he heard the rustling of grass under feet and turned to see two familiar faces, his daughter... and Kaneki...

The boy's hair was pure white, it looked unkempt ant frayed, blood stained his mouth and bruises covered his body... His skin was pale, pale from blood loss, he had a dazed look in his once innocent eye's, eye's that were now replace with cold, but burning anger, an anger he once saw in his daughters eye's back when she was the Owl... It shook him to his core, because he knew that they were too late...

The couple found themselves back atop the hill that Hinami and Irimi awaited them on, they were the last to arrive, but then who cared about that... everyone was there... Touka, Hinami, Irimi, Kaya, Yomo, Uta, The manager... Then there were others, others Kaneki was wary of, one of which was that cannibal, the one who had once tried to eat Eto and who now had a taste for Kaneki; Shuu Tsukiyama... Then there was another person Kaneki was wary of: Nishiki Nishio, but, to be fair, he did clean Kaneki's wounds when he was tortured by Yamori... Then, some rather unexpected face... Banjou and his group who looked upon Kaneki, particularly the muscular one... with guilt... He wondered why though... It wasn't their fault, they couldn't stop Yamori, besides it wasn't like he blamed them either.

Then a gentle, wrinkled hand fell on his shoulder, prompting him too look. It was the manager, he held a kind smile on his old, wrinkled face... It was pleasing to see, the elder always calmed Kaneki greatly somehow... Maybe it was a family trait that both he and Eto shared. Then, he noticed a rather uneasy brunette stumble towards him, wide eye's, almost ashamed and sad as she stared at him... Touka... she blamed herself too... It wasn't fair... it was nobody's fault but his own self's... he had been weak... Nobody should blame themselves.

However, upon further inspection, he saw that practically all of them bore that expression... He hated it, God did he hate it... To them it was sympathy, but too him it was unnecessary. Why were they making themselves suffer like that? For his sake? Ridiculous, it was no ones fault but his own, for being to afraid to fight back. They didn't need to do that to themselves.

Then Yoshimura spoke up, clearing his throat. "Ken... I don't have you scheduled at all on any work days from now... don't worry about coming back to work for a while... it will be fine." There was a silence as Ken stared at him, then too the group, looking at them... He needed to tell them, they deserved that much...

"I'm not returning to work..." He said, as he straightened up and gave a slight smile to soften the blow... it didn't seem to work.

"... That's fine, I understand..." Replied Yoshimura as he sighed, but smiled.

"No... I mean I'm leaving for a while..." He paused, watching as the group took in the news... Touka in particular seemed the most upset...

"I can't let Aogiri run wild like this... Killing who they please, when they please... It's my moral obligation of sorts... as someone who survived them... I'm going to take down Aogiri... then The One-Eye'd Owl..."

Touka finally tried speaking her discomfort at this, but was interupted by Eto. "Let's talk about this later..." She said, Keeping her gaze at Kaneki, who didn't look back. "Besides... I'm sure Kaneki is tired after all this..."


	14. Half Ghouls, One Being

This morning there was no light gently caressing Eto's eyelids to wake her, nor the feeling of warmth from the outside, not even her own internal clock waking her up for the day... No, what woke her up this morning was a sound... A rather unnerving sound, one that rung in her ears like a loud gunshot, kind of like the snapping of a twig or a sharp click.

She opened her light green eye's to see that her room was a deep blue, the kind you would see for setting lighting at an aquarium. It was a nice sight though, it meant that just maybe the sun wasn't going to come out today... Not that Eto had anything in particular against the sun, but she could do without the intense light for a while... It would seem inappropriate considering the night before.

_**CRACK**_

The sound rang once more, prompting the author to turn her head, her green curls trying to grab onto her face because of an intense case of bedhead. Her eye's fell on a familiar figure, however, as familiar at the figure was... It was almost a stranger in some ways. The white hair, the pale skin, the cold gaze he gaze anything and everything besides those he considered his friends, that was not like Kaneki at all and Eto felt a cold pit in her stomach, just as she did last night, the night he was rescued... That wasn't to say the old Kaneki was gone, but rather he was hiding away... or maybe he was being hidden.

_**CRACK**_

The sound was made once more, however this time Eto saw the exact source. He had done this a few times that night, every now and again when he was day dreaming... Eto didn't bother him about it, but she didn't let it go unnoticed... However she wasn't so sure it was a new quirk any more... The skin around his eye's sagged with a used weight, it bore a shiny red coloring that made it look like someone had painted over it, his eye's were riddled with the want, no the **need **to sleep, but his face showed a determination that refused to give in, no... not determination, but rather fear.

He was beginning to do so, but Eto had decided that he'd done that enough. Quickly, but softly, Eto rested her palm against the white haired boys own and webbed her fingers in between his, making sure that the most they could do to one another was touch at the tips if even that. He gave her a look of surprise, like he didn't see her wake up, which he did not, he was to preoccupied with his digits.

"Oh, Hello..." He said, an eerie calm feeling in his voice, matching the dark outside in some strange way. Eto noticed how his eye's changed, from glacial to warm when they shifted upon her. It almost made her laugh, but it was more than just a funny shift in expression, it was a visual representation that somewhere in there the socially awkward Kaneki was still around.

"Good morning..." Eto said softly, a small grunge in her otherwise happy voice, one she hadn't felt until just then. Then her gaze shifted towards there now interlocked hands, with a warm, yet curious expression. "Why do you do that?" she asked, tilting her head to the side, letting her hair tickle her face.

"Do what?" Kaneki inquired, frowning slightly in confusion, however keeping that eerie feel evident in his presence.

"Crack your fingers like that?" She responded, tightening her grip slightly, "You seem fond of it..."

"Oh..." He said looking back down to his hand, Then his expression changed, back into that icy stare that he reserved for anyone else. "I'm... I'm just making sure I still have fingers."

Eto felt the nerves in her body go numb, the way he said that with such a regularity in his voice, like it was an everyday thing... God it hurt to hear it, especially from him, whom was once so naive and innocent and happy. _'making sure I still have fingers...' _Eto repeated to herself, frowning a saddened frown. Then she squeezed tighter and straddled Kaneki, to the point where she was hovering over his face, holding there intertwined hand between his and hers.

"You have fingers..." She said, smiling a reassuring smile. Then, to proved her point she put his index finger in her mouth and held it there... She didn't know why, but she felt like it was necessary to do. "See..." she insisted mouth full, "You can feel that right?" She then lightly applied pressure to his index finger with her teeth, just enough so that he would feel the sensation.

"Y-yes..." He replied, bending it a little inside her mouth, just to make sure he actually did and that he wasn't just imagining. Ever since he had gotten free... he felt like his fingers had never grown back in, like he had stubs for hands and was surprised to see them actually still there when he did... so he took to cracking them, just to make sure. then he slid the finger out of her mouth, as warm as it may have been, and rested it on his side lazily.

Eto found herself looking deeply into the white hair, once jet black, and how messy it was. The hair looked like he'd just exited a wind tunnel. O.K, that was an exaggeration, but it wasn't nearly as smooth as it normally was. Then, she lowered a hand onto a part where his locks fell in front of his face and gently, caressingly, pushed them out of the way, as if they were a bush blocking her view. His eyes held something else, besides a slight cold glare, it was a... a fear... Of what she wasn't certain, but it made her frown, it made her realize that they had been far too late in rescuing Kaneki, if he'd been rescued at all.

Then, through no conscious action of her own, Eto found herself locking lips with Kaneki, her hair curtaining both their heads as she pressed hard and worked her tongue in his mouth. She could feel his cold lips warming under her own, as if the sensation had brought something dead back too life, and she almost laughed in joy when he returned her tongue's curiosity with his own.

The kiss turned to something more intimate however, and it was safe to say neither of them had any qualms. Eto gripped Kaneki's wrist and pressed his now warm hands onto her waist with her own and then readjusted her mouth to find a more pleasurable angle for the both of them. Her body shifted on his and she felt his grip tighten. She looked to his eye's and saw they were half lidded, but the visible parts showed a pleasured haze that fogged his vision. She smiled, she didn't know why she was doing this now, perhaps because she had felt so alone when he was taken, perhaps it was her own body screaming at her for not experiencing any sexual stimulation besides her own experimentation during her life... But Eto believed it was more so that both she and Kaneki(whether he would admit it or not) knew that he needed to focus on something, even if for the briefest moment, rather than his torture... But, though it was selfish, Eto knew that for her it was more than that... she wanted him to focus on her. It wasn't out of some perversion nor a need for sexual fulfillment, but that she didn't want to feel so helpless to him.

Kaneki found his hands exploring Eto's body as their tongues danced in the cavern that their mouths created. This was something he'd never quite felt before in his life, but God if he didn't love it. In fact this was somewhat of an oasis for him if he had to classify it as anything. For the first time since those ten days of torture had begun Kaneki felt pleasure, it electrified every nerve, every cell, and at that moment Kaneki was certain he had fingers. He knew this because, well, quite frankly, and through no control of his own, Kaneki was making his way to Eto's upper night shirt, hoping to undo the buttons. It wasn't his doing, well... not exactly, but rather something else's doing, more accurately the stiff, erect, warm, organ between his legs. It was funny to him actually, Jason hadn't even paid mind to his more intimate areas, whether it was some cruel joke, as if Jason though that even he wouldn't dare desecrate that area, as if it were too much even for him, or if it just slipped his mind, Kaneki found himself being ever so thankful that he didn't.

The final button popped and Eto found her breast meeting the now warm air. She smiled into their kiss, it was almost comical to think that Kaneki even had a sex drive, considering his personality, never the less though, he was still reluctant about it, or she supposed he was as he didn't even try to touch her chest. Eto then gripped his hands once more and slowly, almost trying to tease her lover, had his hands trail up her body managing to make her shake underneath his touch at how it stimulated the microscopic hairs that covered her body, until finally they rested on the warm mounds.

She felt Kaneki's breath shake in their kiss, a sign showing that his arousal was barley contained now... She wasn't much different... She could feel the warmth she had developed between her thighs growing hotter and hotter with each passing moment, it was almost unbearable, in fact she found her clothes becoming extremely unaccommodating as their display dragged on.

Eto broke their lip lock, and she could almost feel Kaneki's tongue reach out for more. Then, she tightly buried her head into the crook of his neck, hiding her face from the non existent on-lookers as she began softly, tantalizingly, dragging her lips in the area. Kaneki groaned aloud as the action sent rushes of lust through his body. Then, still unfinished, Eto used her hands to grip the waist of both her and Kaneki's lower apparel. She smiled when she felt the heat radiating from under Kaneki's, she could tell he was aching, they he was playing with her breast was proof enough, for something to happen and she was aware on just how cruel it would be to not deliver... In fact she could hardly wait to deliver.

Then, with once quick motion, she simultaneously removed them, leaving both of their bare bodies clear to see to the room they inhabited. For Eto it was a sense of freedom, like she'd been locked away in a straight jacket and just released, she felt almost weight less as the hair struck her sex. She'd been naked before, it wasn't the absence of clothes really so much as the circumstances. Kaneki was clearly feeling a similar way as well, she could tell by his fidgeting that his member was dying to release the build up of his sexual frustration, why make either of them wait?

"E-eto.." He called out tiredly as he gripped her body tighter, sending shocks through her body. That was enough, that was what pushed her further into it. Then, roughly, quickly, and tired of the wait, Eto slid onto Kaneki's member, breaking the biological symbol of virginity that she had and causing her to stop abruptly, to adjust to the momentary pain.

Kaneki felt a new rush explode through his body, making him more aware than ever. He didn't think about sex often, if at all, but in that moment he felt a high he'd never once felt before. He found his member being surrounded by warm, but soft, walls each of which was caressing him with care as he rested there, at the same time they were wet, covered in a wall of liquid that only further excited Kaneki's body and urged him on, and soon he found Eto riding him.

The sensation of body's touching, and the heat between them was mind numbing. Kaneki found himself almost drooling as Eto increased the speed on her bounces, and the ragged breath she released every now and again was helping keep him up as well. It was the most primal Kaneki had ever felt in his life to be honest and he loved it. He found his hands moving from her breast and now tracing her heating body, finding every curve she had as she continued.

Eto melted under Kaneki's hands as they felt her up, she didn't know how good sex could feel herself until just now. All those times she'd experimented when she was younger didn't even quite come close to this, the breathing, pulsing, warm body of another living being, it was probably what heaven felt like, should it exist. Kaneki's hands found her rear and their gripped tighten slightly... But as slightly as it was it was enough to send Eto teetering on the edge of sanity. The heat from their connected body, the smell of sex filling her nostrils, Kaneki's cock twitching inside her. She thought that she could prepare herself for intercourse but she was wrong... **thankfully **wrong.

Kaneki pulled her back down to his face and began to recreate the kiss they had once shared. God it was so much better now, her mouth had become increasingly warm since they began, and it tickled Kaneki as she exhaled into his mouth. She was incredible, despite the sudden change in position she was still bucking on him. Perhaps it was animal instinct, maybe subconcious, but either way he could swear she'd gotten better.

Eto found her tongue moving more frantically in his mouth, as if looking for something for her sanity to hang on to, to make sure it wasn't lost. Then, she felt something warm building up inside of her, it was like the urge to pee, but something stronger, something that begged to be release. She knew exactly what it was that she was feeling at this moment and if Kaneki was in any similar situation, they needed to stop now.

Eto then quickly lifted off, almost too late as warm, pleasurable, fluids spilled out from her, almost covering Kaneki's nether regions. She was right though, it seemed their bodys had connected in more ways than one as she saw white string like fluids shoot out of Kaneki's sex, dirtying the sheets underneath them. She almost felt bad for doing that, but she couldn't afford the possibility of pregnancy, even though she was only a half ghoul, she didn't need the responsibility of raising a child that eats humans, not that she was incapable, but more so that she didn't want anyone else to hide their existence simply because of what they are.

Then she collapsed on her lover, who was aparently just as tired as the shock surprised him. "Heh, my goodness Kaneki..." She said, breathless, "You're really quite the pervert... grabbing my breast like that and all..." She teased, now bringing herself up to his head and playing with the snow white hair of his.

"I- sorry..." He replied, his own voice shaky.

"I didn't say I didn't enjoy it..."

* * *

_**((Author's Note))**_

_**Hello, everyone! Sorry for the long wait, and for the short chapter. I just didn't know how I could transition into a different scene without it being awkward. I haven't been posting much because I've been quite lazy as of late, perhaps it's the heat, maybe I just sleep in too much, who knows? Anyways, the next few chapters will just be fluff without any real story behind them, simply because I feel you've earned it for dealing with the story til now. I am aware that all I've been doing since I started this was just using the actual cannon and changing it up a bit, but from now on this is where it becomes a real FanFiction. **_


	15. Birthday

Eto sat at her dining room table, her hair messy and flowing down her back, eye's tired, but mouth smiling. It had been two days since that intimate incident with Kaneki, and while his touch was no longer cold, she noticed that not much had changed about him. He remained silent unless spoken to, kept that habit of cracking his fingers to make sure they were still there, and would sometimes start mumble numbers to him self. Though that was a bit unsettling as it didn't take long for the author to figure out their pattern; counting down by sevens... It was a rare for of torture, used by serial killers and other less than sane people to keep their victims as sane as possible so they could experience everything... She had to find something to do with Kaneki when he did that or it would drive her insane... and she didn't like to hear it.

She was lucky though, she could get him to stop by gently playing with his white follicles, tussling them about, holding him close while she did so, resting her head on his, all those physical signs of affection seemed to calm him down. Not much had changed between them since their little experiment, in fact they seemed closer than before(of course), and Kaneki had seemed to regain a bit of that innocent look in his eye... But she couldn't help but feel him tense slightly when ever she did so, like you would see an abused child do when their abuser would make a swift motion, regardless or not if it was physical... she wanted to know what had happened to him... but she didn't like to think about the possibilities. Trying to think of anything, anything but that, Eto then picked up the object nearest to her and began to read it... she picked up a calendar... _Well, at least it's something to distract me from any disturbing thoughts... _She mental sighed as she flipped it open to the current month, December.

December 23rd, that was the date on the calendar. There was nothing particularly special about today for Eto, it was just any other day for her, but something was bothering her. Maybe she was late for a book signing again? Was today some kind of anniversary for something? Christmas was in two days but she knew that... Was it someones birthday? Then she realized something... throughout their time together she hadn't once inquired about Ken's birthday, she never was good with dates, times, etc... _Hah, this is perfect!_Eto smiled to herself, _We'll get out and do something... that should help if only a little right? In fact we could do it at anytime really... Birthday be damned!_

* * *

Kaneki found himself in a red tinted room... red... a color he'd seen enough of for the past ten days or so, most of it pouring out of him. The room was not really a room at all, but rather a plane of existence, just red, well... not entirely red. The corners of the room would gradually fade to black as they stretched out and the ceiling, if there actually was one, was completely out of view... Normally Kaneki would have been horrified, it seemed like a scene from a horror movie, but then... he'd already lived through that... and this was much more pleasurable than what he'd been forced to endure over and over and over and over and over again.

Then, he noticed that his feet were beginning to drown in something. The substance was thick, but it was a fluid of some kind and it clung to his skin tightly as if it didn't want to let him go. It wasn't a nice grip either, but rather a damning grip if anything, it was filled with contempt and anger. He shifted his head down tiredly, simply bothered by it all, like it really wasn't worth his time. Then Kaneki's nose twitched and he knew exactly what he was standing in... Blood. Kaneki frowned and pulled his foot up, causing two strands, one bigger than the other, to trail from the bottom in a thick pouring motion into the bloody floor.

Then, in a sudden, unnatural motion, the blood ripped away from his foot and then formed a shape akin to a hand. The blood hand flexed once, twice, three times and then paused. It reminded the white haired ghoul of a snake in some ways, actually most reptiles, they way it moved in swift, but firm, ways. Upon further inspection it seemed the hand was made out of rushing blood... The shape was more or less the same, but the blood was almost traversing through it as a stream would a rock. Kaneki frowned, but he wasn't particularly frightened, but curious. Then, the boy began to reach down to the hand, attempting to run his hand through to disrupt the figure, however, it seemed that it was hoping for that.

Suddenly, the blood gripped his wrist and began to pull on him, firmly, as if a tow truck was pulling being used to pull him into the bloody river at his feet. Kaneki pulled back but soon found that two more arms had attached themselves to him making it almost impossible for him to escape. Then, gradually, the blood began to harden, almost crystallizing, and began to change in pigment until the hands became familiar. Kaneki didn't know how but he recognized them, there were three feminine hands, but Kaneki could tell whose they were.

Slowly, the original pulled herself up, just to the point to where her collar bones peaked above the blood. Kaneki's eye's widened, his pupils dilated, and he clenched his teeth. It wasn't fair, he recalled thinking, it wasn't fair that he had to be the one to see this and not anyone else. There, before him, was Ryokou, her body dripping in blood, her hair damped and clinging tightly to her body, eye's looking at him apathetically... for the first time since Kaneki had been tortured by Jason, he felt a bone chilling fear that froze him solid and made him numb.

"M-mrs Fueguchi..?" He asked, almost afraid to say her name, as if she were some demon and by uttering her name he gave her the power to posses him. The dead woman then smiled and began to speak, latching another hand onto the meatier part if Kaneki's upper leg, which he just now noticed was naked... in fact he was completely naked, not a single part of his body covered. This didn't help his situation at all...

"Hello... **Ken**..." She replied with a malice in her normally kind voice, a malice that hit him like a wave breaking upon a sand bank. Her eye's slowly changed, her sclera darkened, the veins in her eye's swelled to the point that they were increasingly visible, and her pupils shifted into that blood red color that still haunted him. Kaneki felt so small again, like he did when he was younger, like he was a helpless brat and he needed someone to save him.

"It's your fault you know..." She said to him, dragging herself out of the bloody muck and crawling up his body, as if she was paralyzed from the waist down. The sentence rung through the room like a gunshot, echoing off the walls and piercing Kaneki's ears. It wasn't really that loud, in fact it was more of a whisper if anything, but perhaps the reason it seemed so loud, was because he knew exactly what she was talking about... and that she was right.

But still, despite all that Kaneki had to be sure, he had to know if she was talking about what he thought she was... it was almost embarrassing when he asked; "What is?" She laughed at the question, not the kind, motherly, loving laugh that she normally had, but a mocking one, as if he'd just royally embarrassed himself publicly, then she grabbed his chin and turned his head to face that mocking, motherly smile. "There's so much... but let's just focus on mine right now..."

Then, she pulled his head closer and tilted it to the side, making it to the point where her mouth was at his ear. Kaneki felt his neck being strained, not by position, but more-so by Ryouko's grip tightening around it, angrily, like he was the very investigator that beheaded her all those months ago. He felt a warm breath against his ear and then she spoke. "You could've prevented my death... My daughters trauma... Because of you she's an orphan now..." she paused and loosened her grip slightly, "Listen, I know the others said they don't blame you, and maybe they really don't... but both of us know that if you weren't so scared I would still be alive, and Hinami wouldn't have lost the last parent she had..."

Then... she seemed to freeze as if being turned to stone when she finished talking. However, her place was taken by another, this time one of the other two, the one situated at hid calf, came to life as well. The hand shifted, grabbing dangerously close to his nether regions and from the blood emerged a purple haired woman, her eye's the same as Ryouko's as she dragged her unclothed body up his and close to his face. Rize.

"Hmmmm... she'd right you know..." Spoke the dead ghoul who had been used as Kaneki's salvation. Kaneki could only look at her as she drew herself closer to his ear, smiling devilishly as she did so. Kaneki felt her lick his ear lobe and breath happily against it, sighing in a sick pleasure. "In fact, you caused **my **death also, huh?" she said less infuriated then Ryouko, almost as if she were an older sister.

"I mean, if it weren't for you Kaneki, I wouldn't have been killed..." said the succubus of a woman, nonchalantly as she slightly pushed against him. Kaneki raised an eyebrow, something she had said didn't quite add up to him... **'killed'**, Kaneki was told it was an accident in the hospital. "What do you mean killed?" They spoke simultaneously, Rize in a more mocking tone and laughing.

"Come now, Kaneki, surely construction workers wouldn't use an unreliable suspender such as that if it could break, hmmm?" She asked, smiling brightly now... "What's more... I know who did it..."

Kaneki froze solid. _So... it wasn't fate that did this to me? Not some predetermined life set out by a higher power, or just bad timing? There's culprit? Is it the Owl, Jason? Tatara? Kanou? _ However, he could guess all he wanted, but there was only one way he'd really know...

"Who?" Kaneki demanded, almost foaming at the mouth, waiting for the answer.

Rize smirked at his eagerness, then, with a teasing smiled she sung into his ears; "Not teeeeellllliiiiinggggg."

Kaneki felt angry, god did he feel angry, he wanted to pounce on her and beat it out of her, as violent and cruel as that sounded, but he needed to needed to know. To know who was responsible for ruining his life, why he had to go through so much pain, why he had to live in fear... but the strangest thing of it all was that he didn't want to kill the person or even hurt him... He just wanted to know **why?**

Then, the two women shattered into blood, along with the third hand, the owner of which remained a mystery, showering the half-ghoul with a thick blood rain. Kaneki fell to his knee's as the blood trickled down his naked body, almost caressing him lightly in a soothing way, as if it were an old friend saying goodbye. He stayed like that for a moment, letting the fear escape his body and letting himself calm down. Then he closed his eye's.

When he opened them, he saw a boy bound in a chair, shackled down by chains and clothes tattered. His head was held down, allowing the jet black hair to hang from his head. his ankle's were raw from grinding against the shackles and his body was covered in bruises. Kaneki knew exactly who it was, he'd be an idiot not to... it was him... or rather who he used to be.

However the new arrival wasn't the only change he noticed. All around them, the blood soaked floor was replaced with red flowers, like those that had appeared when he accepted what he truly was. The sky had also turned red, and while not as deep as the room he was just in, it was an unnerving sight nonetheless. However, around the chained version of himself, there were white flowers, still untouched and almost glowing as the pedals tickled the boys feet.

Kaneki blinked once and kept his gaze on him... because that's when he realized that it wasn't Kaneki's fault, or at least not the current Kaneki, but rather the one who was chained up right now, it was **his **fault that Ryouko died, that he was captured, that the others had to bother to come save him. He hated this Kaneki, he hated who he used to be, when he was so weak, but that's what made it so confusing... If he hated who he used to be... why was he still here?

Then there was a sudden crash, causing the world to go black.

* * *

Kaneki's eye's shot open, but he didn't move, he didn't know why, in all honesty he should've rocketed out of bed, he should've at least jolted a bit but instead he found himself stationary, wrapped in a pair of thin arms, with a warmth to his back. He felt hair tickle the back of his neck as well as the feeling of a nose burying itself deep within his white hair, as if searching for something. It wasn't an unfamiliar feeling, in fact he was quite used to it.

Eto released air through her nose and into the fluff of hair that lay on his head, now turned white. She then began to snake her head down to the side of his, posistioning her mouth just by his ear and rested it there. Her arms grew tighter around him and she intertwined her legs with his and fully relaxed on top of him, letting her head rock on his while she rested.

She let out a warm breath unto his ear, making the hairs on his body bristle in a small bliss. The author always had a way of relaxing him, her hands, they way she spoke, but it went back even farther than that, before he knew her personally and he would read her books, they would always relax him, while at the same time giving him a sense of dread... She was good at that.

Then she asked the question, as if she had seen him dreaming, or if she had watched the dream, "What's wrong?"

"What" Kaneki inquired, curious as to what, besides the fact that he had just been haunted by two dead women, could be bothering at the moment so badly that was visibly showing it.

Eto then adjusted her self, bringing her hands up to his hair and began to tussle it about. "What was your dream about?" She specified, "You were tossing and turning, and sweating beads, It couldn't have been to pleasant... Was it about the torture again?" She then rolled Kaneki over to where his front was facing the ceiling and to where she was laying on top of him completely.

Kaneki contemplated telling her the truth, he did, but he decided it would be better to not worry her if possible, he was sick of being a burden to everyone and he didn't want to seem whinny, especially not now. He used to be whinny, but that part of him was gone now. "Nothing," he replied, unintentionally coldly, "I'm fine, I was just too hot that's all..."

Kaneki could feel Eto's mouth turn into a frown as she moved her head up to meet his eye's. Her own eye's held some sort of annoyance in them, but it was more-so sympathy than annoyance, sympathy and sadness really. "Why are you lying?" She asked, staring down at him with her green eye's.

"What?" Kaneki asked, confused, could she tell, was he really that bad of a liar?

"You're lying, When you said that your body turned into a furnace." She explained nonchalantly, as she moved some white hair from his eye's. Her touch was gentle, more so than usual, as if he was something fragile, or something that she cared about... the latter of which he was.

"No I'm not-" She cut him off by crashing her lips to his, roughly, but passionately, making his eye's open wider as the sensation rushed through his body, waking him up completely. She lightly played with his tongue using her own, making it twitch in reply to the contact, and she starred at him through half lidded eye's, the green orbs in them examining his own.

Then she pulled away, letting a slight bit of thin saliva, hang in the air before it broke. Kaneki found his mouth agape, the action was incredibly sudden, almost as if she was trying to get the drop on him. He expected her to say something, anything, that he was not fine, that he was a bad liar, something along those lines... She never did, she just looked at him, her eye's piercing him through, until she finally did speak... "Alright." Was her judgement as she smiled and brushed the hair back on his forehead.

Eto rolled off Kaneki, but stayed close enough that their shoulders where touching as she laid on her back, keeping her eye's on the ceiling. The bed felt comfortable as it conformed to her shape, holding her tightly. The green haired girl breathed into her nose and out through her mouth, smiling all the while... She knew though, Kaneki was lying, she didn't know how she knew, but she **did** know. But, if he would rather not speak of it at the moment then that was fine, besides, he'd tell her eventually... she hoped... She'd make him.

Then she opened her mouth once more, this time with the subject she originally came in here for. "Kaneki... when's your birthday?" She asked, closing her eye's gently, letting the bed comfort her. She didn't know why but she was suddenly tired... strange considering how often she slept.

"It was 3 days ago, counting today..." He told her, not bothering to turn to face her at all. Eto frowned at that, but more so at that she'd missed his birthday... though in a way she had given him a birthday present of sorts, rescuing him from Aogiri... but that wasn't as personal as she'd wanted. But that didn't quite matter, to be honest, people throw early and late parties all the time, well it wouldn't be so much a party as much it would be just them two.

"Well then," she chimed happily, as she rocked out of her spot on the bed, "let's go do something, shall we?"

Kaneki looked over to her, her face was so bright, so happy, that it almost made him laugh, but instead he simply smiled at her, a warm smile, he didn't have the heart to deny her that. "Ok." agreed the college student as he sat up, stretching his arms in an attempt to wake them up, "What did you have in mind?" He asked watching the pajama draped woman walk around the bed to his side, then fold her arms in pondering.

"Well...", she trailed off, looking out the window that led to a view of the outside world. "Oh wow..." she gawked as she walked, almost as if she was in a trance, to the full body window and stopped. Kaneki followed her figure to the window and tilted his head a bit to the left, opening his mouth at the sight. It was still dark outside, not surprising, considering that it was still fairly early in the morning... in fact he was waking up this early a lot recently... mostly due to nightmares where he was being tortured. In fact, it was a surprise that Eto was up before him, considering she was, in essence, a sloth... Had his night terrors been waking her up?... It appeared he was a nuisance even in his sleep...

However, as dark as it was, that wasn't what had caused his mouth to open... It was the dark sky, the city lights shinning brightly, and most importantly the white snow raining down upon the city in a slow, meticulous manner, and in a way showering around Eto beautifully making her silhouette stand out stunningly against the scene. Then Eto turned and smiled kindly, "Why don't we just take a walk and see where that leads, huh?"

* * *

Next the couple found themselves walking down the city in the snow, each bundled up in their own respective winter attire. Eto was in a purple, knee length, trench coat, that seemed a bit to big for her, along with a red scarf draped lazily around her neck, up to her chin, along with black, wool gloves. Kaneki wore a black trench coat, one that rose slightly higher than Eto's but was still effective none the less, he didn't wear as much as her though, his reasoning being that he could hardly feel it, and while Eto wasn't going to force him to wear gloves, she did forcibly intertwine her hands with his and squeezing them tightly too keep them warm. Kaneki recalled her jokingly telling him to, 'Stop being so stubborn', to which he chuckled in reply... The night so far had been fairly fun, however, every now and again, he would catch Eto throwing him worried glances, nothing to extreme, just a slight frown every now and again... He wished she'd stop worrying about him, it made him worry as well.

They were walking on the side walk now and Eto had begun to notice some, though very few, men and women, turning heads at them, _most likely fans_, the author thought as she smiled slightly to herself, gripping Kaneki's hand harder... Something was wrong though... but maybe it was wrong in a good way. He seemed happier than when they rescued him, much happier in fact... But Eto couldn't shake the feeling that he was faking all of it, but that's not what was important now, what was important was making him genuinely enjoy himself.

Suddenly, a low growl rung through the air, kind of like that of an animal, but much less threatening. Eto looked over to Kaneki, and saw him clutching his stomach tightly. Eto let out a soft laugh. "Oh my, you haven't been eating have you?" she stated mores so than asked as Kaneki looked over to her, frowning slightly, "No, I'm fin-" His stomach interrupted him, growling once more, natures sign of telling you too fucking eat something.

Eto sighed happily, "You haven't been eating your sugar cubes?" She asked, as she took his free hand in her own and backed him up against a wall, gently.

"No... well, I kind of lost it..." He said, somewhat embarrassed, he'd been getting by on willpower alone, but it had been becoming more and more annoying to not eat by the second. Still, despite what he'd been through, he still couldn't bring himself to eat a human being... it was weird though, he didn't hesitate to eat Jason's kagune, even as disgusting as it was.

Suddenly, Eto covered his left eye, muttering a curse word under her breath. It caught Kaneki by surprise and all he could manage out was "What?"

Eto swiveled her head to the left quickly, eyeing a small gift shop along down the street, then back to Kaneki, who was still giving her a confused look. The author then whispered to him, "Follow me and keep your left eye covered..." Kaneki immediately understood then, it was surprising to him though, he didn't think he'd be that hungry, he didn't feel that hungry, but he doubted his body would lie.

The two entered the shop, Kaneki keeping his red eye covered, Eto hurriedly looking through the shelves for something. She saw hats, coffee cups, cameras, anything but useful to her current needs. The ghoul frowned and began scanning other shelves, she needed an eye patch for Kaneki, that was the best way to go, she was surprised the issue hadn't come up before now. Suddenly a hand fell on her shoulder, Kaneki's right hand thankfully, and she turned to see him.

"What are you looking for?" He asked, still holding his left eye.

"An Eyepatch..." She trailed off as she rummaged through shelved items.

"Why?"

"So if you ever get hungry, no one will see your eye..."

"Ahh."

There was a sudden silence as Eto rummaged through the packaged gifts and souvenirs. Kaneki then began to walk away, looking for an eye patch himself... Well, he would've if Eto hadn't already beat him too it. He felt a leather strap fall over his head and cover his left eye, he noticed that the strap was tilted to the side. It was a single strap as well, and fit snugly on him.

The half ghoul turned around quickly, surprised by the sudden action and saw Eto standing there curling her index finger like a hook. "RRRRR" she said, most likely imitating a pirate, then laughing at herself, most pleased with her own humor. "Now then," she spoke, almost sounding relieved, "Let's pay for it, then go to Anteiku."

"Why there?" Asked Kaneki, raising the eyebrow behind the eye patch.

"More sugar cubes for you."

* * *

A small clank was heard as Eto twisted a small bronze hued key that she'd stuck into a lock moments earlier. Then, she carelessly twisted the handle, opening the door and allowing her and her lover into the coffee shop. Naturally, it was still closed, not so much as because it was still dark out despite being early, but rather because her father always closed it down during the holiday's, despite Christmas not being a national holiday in Japan as it was in America and much of Europe. This meant that Touka would still be gone most of the day at school, studying for entrance exams to Kamii, The college where Kaneki was attending, despite his many absences. Speaking of the girl, she and Hinami were still living at Anteiku at the moment, so they had to be careful about not making to much noise as they were sleeping at the moment.

Eto walked over to a door behind the counter and disappeared behind it. Kaneki found himself alone now, in the dark of the room, awkwardly standing there waiting for the author to come back. He didn't like being separated from her now, he didn't like being separated with any of his friends but Eto especially. But he wouldn't be able to see them much soon... He had to much to do... so he could protect them.

Suddenly, a small light voice echoed through the room, causing him to shift his head swiftly. "Big brother?" It called out, groggily. Kaneki immediately knew who it was, just by the almost froze, remembering what Ryouko had said, it was all true, any way he looked at it Kaneki was responsible for her death, he almost contemplated staying quite so she would think he was there... but he asked anyway, "Hinami?"

"Mhmm...",she replied tiredly, walking down from the stairway to where Kaneki could see her better, "What are you doing here?" She was wearing a brunette nightgown, the same shade as her hair, which was now cut into a more chopped style, but was more or less the same as her normal hair, still, it was noticeable enough for Kaneki to comment.

"I see you've gotten a hair cut." He said, trying to start another conversation, if at all possible he would like to not talk about the consumption of people in any from with her, despite her being a ghoul it was evident that she was not comfortable with it.

"Thanks," The brunette chimed, "Big sister cut it for me." The way she said that was somewhat awkward, but nonetheless it was something... However kaneki had nothing else to speak of, so a new silence had settled over them.

"Uhmmm, big brother...?" Hinami spoke again, breaking the silence.

"Yes?"

"Why do you sound so... different?"

"Different?"

"Y-yeah... You sound like you're sad... you smile when you talk to me, but you talk so low... Are you O.K?"

The question caught him off guard... But it explained quite a bit. Why Eto was acting so strangely, why she was so protective... Why she hardly left him alone... It was the tone he gave off. While he himself was indifferent to it, it probably did effect others a bit, he didn't like that... In fact it made him feel like more of a nuisance than before. He wanted to explain this to her further, but he didn't want to make her worry either. "I don't know what you're talking about... Why don't we talk about something else?"

Hinami was silent then, thinking of something else to say... "O.K... When are you leaving?"

The question hit Kaneki like a truck, the way she had asked that, how she worded it, she almost sounded angry at him for what he had talked about a few nights ago. He froze then, gulping silently, feeling sweat roll down his head, he didn't necessarily want to answer that... Thankfully he didn't have to.

Eto opened the door, walking out with a black cylindar, more than likely holding those brown sugar cubes that he used as substitute for human beings. She smiled kindly to Hinami and walked over, bringing her into a hug. "Let's not talk about that, please..." She said, slightly shaking Hinami in that hold. "Now, why don't you go back to bed, huh? I'm sure you want to sleep in today right?" then, somewhat against her will, Hinami was ushered up there stairs by Eto back to her room.

When she returned Eto had somewhat of a scowl on her face, not angry, just slightly annoyed. "Alright, I'm putting an end to this now..." She said, as she walked towards Kaneki set on something. Then she sat him down in a chair and sat herself down next to him. "Listen," she said, caringly, "By leaving to go find the Owl, you'd only be wasting your time." She placed a hand on his chest, as if that would get her point across better.

"It's not." He defended robotically, "I wan't to make sure he doesn't hurt you or anyone else."

Eto sighed, the way he said that, how determined he was... she was left with no other choice. Eto then brought him into a hug, a tight gentle, loving hug, one that he noticed her muscles were reluctant to let go of. "It **is**," she argued, "Because... I'm the One-Eyed Owl..."

Kaneki was almost deaf, had he heard her right? She was the Owl? No, she was just trying to keep him from leaving... "You can't be... The Owl is the leader of Aogiri, he kidnapped me and had me tortured... He can hurt you too..."

"Bah, Kaneki... Don't you understand?" she asked gently, caressing his hair in the hug, "They're using the name as a way of intimidating others... 10 years ago I would've been in an organization like that... but not anymore..." She paused letting him take it in as she held him... Then chuckled, "Besides that, if you left I'd be all alone again."


	16. A different slice of life

Touka leaned over the counter, resting her head in a bored way one her hand. It was Christmas today, though it hardly felt joyful... None of them, not her, not Koma, not Irimi, not even the manager had heard anything about Kaneki's current situation. Well, no one except Hinami. Apparently, according to her, Kaneki and Eto had early in the morning two days ago, looking for those sugar cubes that the manager made for ghouls like Kaneki... She said that they sent her back to bed, but she had hid at the top of the stairs for a bit longer. She said that their conversation carried onto owls... which was strange... but soon after they left, holding hands apparently, meaning Hinami knew about them now. Touka wasn't sure how many of their little circle knew about the relationship, she only knew for certain about herself and Hinami... It was strange though, the thought of Kaneki and Eto doing anything relationship like... upset Touka... She didn't really have a reason to be upset... It was weird though to see them together, she felt... cold when she did... It was just weird for Touka, she supposed, after all she'd never seen Eto warm up to someone as easily as she did to Kaneki.

Suddenly the door opened, and in walked a curly haired boy with glasses and an older man with a rather strange hair cut, Nishiki and Koma. Nishiki had started working here the day after they got Kaneki back and so far has been less annoying than he was before... but still fairly god damn annoying. In fact the first day he began working there, he'd managed to push her far enough to throw a plate at his head... which she'd missed and ended up hitting the manager... not that it would have hurt either of them, but still.

They were carrying boxes full of coffee beans that Yoshimura ordered, they were running dry in supply on those recently so the manager had sent in an order... as fortune would have it they had arrived on Christmas day... Speaking of the occasion, there was one up side to the day, the tree that had been set up was keeping Touka from having a mental breakdown. In between work, school, and making sure no one caught her scarfing down human limbs, today that tree was the only thing keeping her sane. Touka was never really one for things that were cosmetically appealing, but the Christmas tree was calming in someway... as if, as long as it was up nothing could hurt her... It was a childish notion, but she found comfort in it.

"Hey, shit-head!" Nishiki shouted, slamming his hand on the counter, making the dark haired girl jumped a bit at the sound.

Sighing, Touka returned to her previous position, looking away from Nishiki as if he were nothing more than a minor annoyance to her. "What do you want, shitty Nishiki?"

Nishiki simply smirked and folded his arms over one another, "You're off."

"What?"

"The manager says that you're done for the night," Nishiki then began to turn around and walk away, still talking to her, throwing a hand lazily up into the air, "he say's you need some time off... He keeps saying that you use all your time up for exams and work, he wants you to enjoy yourself."

Touka just looked over her shoulder at him, watching as he went to the back of the counter to get down some coffee trays. She'd be lying if she said that the guy was a total asshole, he was a lot nicer than he used to be... but that made her uncomfortable. He'd been in Aogiri, he once tried to kill Kaneki and his human friend, Hide. It was a bitchy thing to do, really, but she had to ask.

"Hey, Nishiki..." she said, turning around to face him.

"Hmm?" replied the college student, incredibly uninterested.

"Why did you join Anteiku anyway?"

Nishiki stopped with the chink of the china hitting the counter and remained silent for a time, then Touka began to sweat. Had she struck a nerve? She hoped not. They stayed like that for a while, in silence, as the other two co-workers, Kaya and Koma, tided up the shop after closing time. After about 5 minuets it was apparent that Nishiki wasn't going to humor her. Sighing in defeat, Touka turned around once more, leaning over the counter again.

"That's fine," she said, understandingly but at the same time disappointed,"You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to.," she began walking back upstairs, "None of my business."

"Because I owe Kaneki." he said simply, taking the next tray down in a happy tone.

Touka froze looking at his back, one foot on the first step of stair case, and hand and forearm on the support rail. She had a frown, the answer was vague, it wasn't at all satisfying to her, or anyone probably for that matter, if anything it made her worried, angry, but about what she didn't know. Touka then took another step under her foot and opened her mouth, "O-O.K. then..."

Then Hinami appeared at the top of the stairs, holding a black book with colorful splatters all over it against her hip. She wore what she wore most days, a baggy brow sweater with a big orange collar that layed lazily on her shoulders along with a blue skirt that with yellow tights underneath them.

"Hinami, what are you doing coming down stairs?" Touka asked, "Aren't you busy reading?" Touka asked, her mood lifting slightly when the girl came into view.

"Well... I found a word that I didn't know how to read again... so I was going to see if big brother could help out me out with it." She said, blushing a little in embarrassment at her illiteracy.

"Oh... Well, I can help you out, Hinami, I mean it's no trouble." Offered the older girl, eagerly.

"Yeah... but big brother is in college so he knows more right?" Reasoned the girl, unknowingly hitting Touka right in her stomach...

"I wouldn't say tha-" Touka defended her own intelligence as best she could before she was interupted by a voice from down stairs.

"Yes, Hinami that's right!" called Nishiki, "In fact I doubt Touka can even read!"

"Hey!" spat the highschooler in annoyance.

Then, there were three knocks on the door that entered into the shop... This was strange for two reasons, one was that they had turned the sign to closed almost an hour ago, the other was because customers don't necessarily knock before entering a public coffee shop. Still, the group of ghouls thought nothing of it, if they noticed it at all. Despite being closed, the shop was still pretty noisy from all the conversation from Koma.

Eagerly, Hinami rushed down stairs, almost tripping on her way down. "I'll get it!" she called as she passed Touka and ran to the door, "It might be big brother!"

Opening the door hurriedly, Hinami greeted the new comer with a smile, mostly because she'd assume who it was before actually seeing the person. Her smile dropped however when she realized that this man was a stranger to her. He was big, very well built, he wore a white suit that hardly contained his body, one that he should probably replace for a new one or quit drying so often, his hair was blond and slicked and somewhat spiked at the back of his head, His neck was covered in mummy-like wrappings and his nose was covered with a white square bandage, not to mention his left eye was bruised badly enough to have been a make-up job. The ghoul, who looked almost like a giant looked down at her apathetically, but almost curiously, as if she didn't belong here.

"Uh, hello..." Hinami greeted politely, but confused at the man.

Nishiki looked up, expecting to see some tired ghoul hoping for some coffee only to be turned down by the closed shop. However, when he saw the newcomer he froze, almost as if his body had hardened into marble. It was like a nightmare, really, he recognized the man immediately, he should've smelled him the moment he set foot in the building downstairs. How could he forget that Gecko-like face?

"Y-Yamori!?"

* * *

His leather shoe's tapped against the concrete sidewalks of the 20th ward as he strolled down the way. He was wearing his work uniform for the first time since he'd been taken away. The shop was already closed, but he figured he could help fix it up for the day, after all it was a unanimous decision, both Eto and Kaneki had agreed that it would be better if he had something to do, rather than sit in that house doing nothing. The vest, the undershirt, his slacks, all of them fit much looser than he remembered , perhaps it was because he had hardly been fed by Yamori, or maybe it was weight loss due to stress, either way though, the torture definitely had something to do with it. He only hoped that he wouldn't cause to much of a ruckus among the staff when he got there though.

* * *

Eto was in somewhat of a bored mood today, it wasn't that she had nothing to do, not at all. She could watch television, browse the internet, work on her newest story(she had been neglecting that recently) and much more so that wasn't the cause of her boredom. No, her boredom was caused by one thing... That Kaneki hadn't even acknowledged her for the past two days. The artificial half-ghoul seemingly forgot that she was a person, he woke up earlier now and went to bed just as early, he didn't even seem to feel her presence when she would grab him from behind, save for the occasional 'Let me go.' to which she would reply with a frown.

She even offered to let him read what she'd accomplished on her newest book so far and let him critique it... But he really wouldn't critique it he would just give it the casual compliment and return to whatever work he was doing beforehand, if at all. Today had been the first time that he'd actually started a conversation with her, which lasted around three sentences, but it was a conversation none the less. It was simply him telling her that he was going to work and her agreeing that, despite it being late, it would be good for the others to see him.

So now she was laying on the bed with a sad look on her face, of course she didn't blame him. Why would she? She herself would be fairly upset if the person that she had trusted had lied to her... In fact she had been in a similar situation before...

* * *

**10 Years Earlier**

Eto found herself in the attic of the once abandoned shop her father had recently purchased, the other day they had spent all night moving boxes into the attic. It could have been seen as tedious, but for Eto it was a blessing. Before hand all the two had was one tiny apartment that could hardly house a single person, let alone a father and daughter, Eto and her father were quite literally living on top of one another. Her father was often gone doing work at various sights and what not, getting as much money as he could, just for this. But, that's a different story.

So why was she up here, rummaging through various boxes full of personal belongings, in one of the only pieces of clothing she wore? Last night, as they had just finished putting away boxes when she'd seen a medium sized book with some kanji sprawled on the fron't... Eto was while not quite illiterate, but she did find reading hard, after all what did someone expect from a girl too poor for primary school?

The words on said book said, from what she could read, '...kina's, d...ry...'. The girl frowned as she dug the book out of the bin she found it in. The cpver was a tan or beighe color with a burn't look at the edges of it, as if it were old and forgotten... This wasn't the case, her father kept only the essentials and what he kept most dear, but the girl had never seen this before.

Sighing she then opened up the first page with a small creak as a light spray of dust flew from the inner page. The page was blank, just a cream colored paper that held nothing on it. However, there was something in the lower left corner that read '1975'. that must've been the date it was printed, which was only about 30 years ago, so it wasn't that old, but it was not particularly new.

She then began flipping through the pages quickly scanning them for any words she could read, noticing the same words would appear regularly, 'kina' she wondered what that meant, she'd never heard that word before, was it even one? She also noticed that it had different dates scribbled on the top of each page... She then began to put the pieces together... There was only one way that she knew of that pages began with date numbers... diaries... But if that was the case, then why did her father have the diary belonging to someone with a name that way so feminine sounding... Unless... Eto had never known her mother, her father said that she was killed before she could remember. But from the other words that she could read, she could tell that this was a humans diary, just key things that didn't relate to living in hiding and eating humans... But didn't that rule out this belonging to... her mother?

Eto then began to flip through the pages more rapidly, looking for a specific date. 1988, the year she was born. Finally she reached a certain page... It was funny, this Inanimate object was about to change her life. three things that she could read automatically highlighted in her eye's. 'Baby', 'half-ghoul'... 'Eto'...

"What..." Eto said aloud, almost a squeak. "Half-ghoul... A half-ghoul... what's that?" She then began to reach her hand to her left eye and slowly graze her fingers above it. "Is that why this eye doesn't change?" She asked no one in particular as she slightly furrowed her brow... She felt cold, as if a ghost had just passed right through her chest. She noticed that she began to intake more air than usual.

Then she heard a door close shut and her father call her name.

"Eto! Where are you?"

The half ghoul looked over her shoulder at the attic door and narrowed her eye's. Her father had lied to her her entire life... She wasn't just a ghoul, she was much more than just a ghoul, she was this... this 'Half-ghoul' thing... and her father hid that from her. Right now though... she was just confused, she needed to figure this out. Why he lied, who exactly her mother was, and what this made her...

* * *

**Present Day **

"Hinami!" called the brown haired ghoul, as he catapulted himself over the counter top, breaking a few glasses as he did, "Get away from him!"

Hinami looked over to Nishiki and tilted her head with her mouth slightly agape, as if she were confused at him. "Why, Nishiki?" she asked, turning away from Yamori. Nishiki didn't answer as he rushed over, nearly tripping over himself and grabbed her by the waist, then bounding away with speed.

The suited man then too a step forward calmly, placing himself inside the coffee shop and scanning the view in front of him. He recognized the boy who pulled the child away from him, he was placed under him in Aogiri, apparently he'd decided to leave. He never really did look out for his subordinates, so he didn't care much what they did. Tatara did get mad when he killed them though.

Beforw him was Nishiki, that Hinami girl, two older ghouls, older than him most likely, one male one female. Though, he could have sworn that there was another employee here, in fact he was certain that there was, considering she was that brat Ayato's sister. Then, as if on cue, a slim, but strong leg flew at his face, of which he just barely caught before it slammed into him.

Their eye's locked,hers flaring Kakuja's, his almost bored with her attempt to hit him. Luckily for Touka, the guys arm was strong enough to hold up her entire body, instead of her leg being ripped off from the combined effort of gravity and his grip. However, what struck the girl as strange was that he wasn't trying to cause her pain, he just seemed annoyed at her.

"Where's Kaneki?" He asked, calmly speaking it, as if he was guest. The way he said it aggravated Touka even more however, prompting her to launch her fist over her leg, hoping to smash him in the face, to which he simply reposistioned his head, cocking it two one side, causing her to miss. Then he released her leg, causing her to fall fat on her ass.

However, Touka wasn't quite done yet though, as she kicked off the ground, using every muscle in her legs to propel herself at the big, blond, ghoul. She then balled her small, but strong hands into a white-knuckled fist and tried once more to land a sturdy blow on his face. The much larger of the two found himself with no where to go, but back. So, naturally, he found himself being pushed back down the stairs by the girl, who was wildly beating at him with a hatred fueled ferocity.

Touka was angrily punching at the man, and getting angrier every time she missed. Why shouldn't she be? He was the one who hurt Kaneki to the point where he was now mentally damaged. from what she understands, he doesn't feel pain hardly, he now spends his time cracking his fingers, and he is almost a different person. It all pissed her off because she knew it was her fault, she was too weak to save him.

The man had finally made it to where his back was now facing an open door, letting the chilly December air hit his back, not that it bothered him, but it was still notable that his back was at an exit point should he truly need it. However, that exit came to a sudden close as a pair of red, scaled tentacles ripped through his abdomen, reopening healing wounds in the process... At least he found Kaneki.

Touka opened her mouth slightly as a few streamers of warm blood splashed onto her face, dampening her hair and making it stick to her forehead in some areas. For a moment she almost thought it was Rize, but that was out of the question. Still, she had hoped it was Rize, because there was a part of her, a large part, that refused to believe that the cowardly, child faced student could do this... It was a stupid hope she knew... because she saw that look of hatred in his eye's when he pulled him out of the door frame with those red appendages and sling him onto the street.

Maybe it was fate that no humans were around when Kaneki had ripped into Yamori, maybe it was that or just dumb luck, but he knew that they had to move and quickly, no doubt they'd draw attention... He looked back up at Touka, who now bore a look of interest and horror on her face. Her eye's were wide, almost popping out, but her mouth was slightly parted, showing her top teeth just barely.

"Touka, move." He calmly ordered as he wrapped tentacles around Yamori.

The high school student obeyed, rushing back up the stairs and back into the shop quickly. Then, roughly, Kaneki shot Yamori back in through the door way and up the small flight of stairs, resulting in him smashing face first into a wall, cracking it severely. He was far from finished though, as he began to stalk after him, being careful to close the door to any would be onlookers.

But, if fate had intervened, it seemed it had again. As a strong grip fell on Kaneki's wrist, through the closing door, prompting Kaneki to turn to dace the newcomer. Yoshimura was the face that greeted him, a small, but calming smile on his face.

"I do believe that's enough, Kaneki." He said, almost cheerfully.

* * *

Yamori now sat in a dark room, not that it lacked lighting, but more so the lights had been turned off, perhaps they were broke or maybe the old man who had prevented Kaneki from killing him had decided to keep them off. He wasn't alone in the dark however, aforementioned elder was here with him as well, gently pouring coffee into two small, white cups, adorned with tiny golden carved into the side by the rim and at the base.

Yakumo set his jaw, he was beginning to grow a bit worried actually. He was in a building filled with people who saw him as a threat and nothing more.

"Now then..." Spoke the old man, letting out a cheerful grunt as he lowered himself down onto the chair opposite of the much more built, bulky man. The old man seemed to be a weakling at first, but if the rumors are true, That he actually **is **some SSS-rank ghoul, then Yakumo best not upset him. It was funny, a few day's ago he would not have thought about his own well-being, he would have simply fought... Only really because he never met someone who could cause him so much pain...

"... I know why you're here... Or at least I hope I do..." Continued the owner, smirking to himself a bit, "But I would like to know why exactly..." He then clasped his hands together, placing the intertwined old fingers at his mouth and bending ever so slightly forward. It wasn't such an unthinkable question, after all, like the old man had probably guessed, Yakumo had come... to join Anteiku.

"You see," the owner continued once more, "I know of you 'Jason', that you enjoy causing pain to others and you also were the one who tortured Kaneki while he was held captive by Aogiri, but it seems out of character for you, to want to join a group such as ours... After all we keep the peace, not disrupt it."

Yakumo sighed, then looked him in the eye's, "When I was younger," he began, "I lived in a less than traditional house hold. My mother, despite being much stronger than my father, took his beatings without words and never complained... We lived in a small shack, barley making it at all, living day to day... sometimes without electricity... but we lived... Then the investigators came, apparently we'd been found out when my father had been caught eating in an alleyway and they traced him back to us... My mother died in their attack... I escaped just barely, but it wasn't long before I was captured... and given the worst fate for a ghoul in the CCG's custody..."

"Go on..." The old man encouraged watching intently.

"I was kept alive because I knew many secrets about the 13th ward... but I was tortured daily and even though I told them all I know they still did it...My torturer... I won't go in detail what he did... but I eventually, to escape the pain, convinced myself that I was the torturer and he was the victim... His methods became my inspiration for my own tortuer after I killed him, which gave rise to 'Yamori', or 'Jason' as I'm more commonly known... My real name is Yakumo Oomori. Anyways during sometime that Kaneki was beating me a few days ago he had, for lack of a better phrasing, beat the sanity into me, and while he didn't intend to, he Killed Yamori, letting Yakumo come back... But I realized something about the day I came here for him that I didn't think twice about before... Anteiku looks out for one another... I just thought that I would see what a life of peace could be like, rather than fighting..."

There was a moment of silence as Yakumo was studied by the old man, until he finally spoke, with a smile, "Well then, what size clothing do you wear? Just so I can put in the proper uniform order... I doubt we have your size."


	17. Not worth it

It had been some time since that Yakumo had come to Anteiku's, or her father's rather, embracing and accepting arms. From what the author had heard from Irimi, the once feared and vicious 'Black dog', Not all of Anteiku, particularly Kaneki, though he didn't physically, nor verbally show it, was too happy with him being so close to everyone at Anteiku. But what he did't know was that, in terms of rating, Yamori was lower on the ladder than her father, Kaya, Koma, Yomo, and herself.

Speaking of Kaneki, despite the time since she'd revealed her real identity to him, he still rarely talked to her, but it did get somewhat better. But, by better she meant he would at least give one word reply's to her. Still, like before, she couldn't blame him. She knew exactly how he was feeling, betrayed, stupid, angry, and scared. But, to his credit, he was handling it a lot better than she was... But, he'd probably handle it better if she explained **everything **to him.

The author sighed, standing up from the couch she'd realized she'd been laying on for about three hours, and in the process having the back of her shirt cling tightly to her back like a second layer of skin. Her hair had suffered as well, it was now flayed about crazily, and while she did like having the wild look every now and again, even **this** was too much for her, she felt like she was wearing a Halloween wig or something to that effect. Though, she couldn't really complain, after all, she had no plans of going out today.

The half-ghoul then shifted her body to where she was sitting normally, back against the couch cushions comfortably, stretching her arms out, which she just realized were incredibly numbed out due to her lack of movement, getting satisfying spasms in response. She let out a two or three pleasured groans, and the let her arms fall limply to her sides. The author then let her head fall back unto the top of the couch back, sighing once more.

"Kanekiiiiii!" She called down the hall to the room they shared. Today, she supposed, Kaneki had decided to sleep in, because he was still in bed... Or he was trying his utmost to keep from being in the same room as her in consciousness... That stung a little... more than a little... But she really had no right to complain, because she'd done the exact same thing to her own father, so she guessed this was some Irony.

"Kanekiiiiii!" she called once more, turning her head on the couch back, "Are you still being moody?" She asked, teasing a little, trying to get some reaction out of him. After all, it did work on Ayato when he was in a pissy mood when he and Touka were younger... but then, Kaneki and Ayato were two completely different people. And, as a testament to their difference, Kaneki still didn't reply.

Eto chuckled a little bit at that, more out of sadness than anything... Before, when he still had that black hair of his, He was so nice, and so welcoming... but she supposed that he learned his lesson for being too open to everyone... But Eto wasn't going to give up on that Kaneki, she missed seeing him smile when reading a book, in fact she missed seeing him read all together. Kaneki hadn't read anything sense he got back, which was also worrying as he was an even bigger book worm than her.

"Alright, fine." she called again, "I'll just come to you!"

* * *

Eto opened the door to the room where Kaneki was laying. The light trailed up the floor of the room, slowly bringing to life the carpet, followed by the wood frameing of the bed, then the sheets, then finally, a tuffle of white hair that shifted slightly when the light hit it. Eto smirked to herself seeing that Kaneki was awake, she knew he was, he was actually acting a little childish, if she said so herself.

Folding her arms and cocking her hips to one side, she then spoke. "You aren't slick Kaneki."

The white haired boy, in reply, then shifted slightly under the covers and peered over his shoulder at her, with an almost bored look in his eye.

Eto then sat herself down next to him in the bed, wrapping thin arms around him over the covers, pulling him close into her. "Listen, Kaneki," she said, gently, almost purring into his ear, "I know, you're mad at me, you couldn't wrap your head around it... Me being the One-eye'd Owl... because of all the pain that name has caused you... Trust me, I know because I was in the exact same situation you are now..." She then, cupped his cheek and brought his face to hers, "Let me tell you about that, huh?"

* * *

**10 Years Earlier**

Eto found herself in the attic of the once abandoned shop her father had recently purchased, the other day they had spent all night moving boxes into the attic. It could have been seen as tedious, but for Eto it was a blessing. Before hand all the two had was one tiny apartment that could hardly house a single person, let alone a father and daughter, Eto and her father were quite literally living on top of one another. Her father was often gone doing work at various sights and what not, getting as much money as he could, just for this. But, that's a different story.

So why was she up here, rummaging through various boxes full of personal belongings, in one of the only pieces of clothing she wore? Last night, as they had just finished putting away boxes when she'd seen a medium sized book with some kanji sprawled on the fron't... Eto was while not quite illiterate, but she did find reading hard, after all what did someone expect from a girl too poor for primary school?

The words on said book said, from what she could read, '...kina's, d...ry...'. The girl frowned as she dug the book out of the bin she found it in. The cpver was a tan or beighe color with a burn't look at the edges of it, as if it were old and forgotten... This wasn't the case, her father kept only the essentials and what he kept most dear, but the girl had never seen this before.

Sighing she then opened up the first page with a small creak as a light spray of dust flew from the inner page. The page was blank, just a cream colored paper that held nothing on it. However, there was something in the lower left corner that read '1975'. that must've been the date it was printed, which was only about 30 years ago, so it wasn't that old, but it was not particularly new.

She then began flipping through the pages quickly scanning them for any words she could read, noticing the same words would appear regularly, 'kina' she wondered what that meant, she'd never heard that word before, was it even one? She also noticed that it had different dates scribbled on the top of each page... She then began to put the pieces together... There was only one way that she knew of that pages began with date numbers... diaries... But if that was the case, then why did her father have the diary belonging to someone with a name that way so feminine sounding... Unless... Eto had never known her mother, her father said that she was killed before she could remember. But from the other words that she could read, she could tell that this was a humans diary, just key things that didn't relate to living in hiding and eating humans... But didn't that rule out this belonging to... her mother?

Eto then began to flip through the pages more rapidly, looking for a specific date. 1988, the year she was born. Finally she reached a certain page... It was funny, this Inanimate object was about to change her life. three things that she could read automatically highlighted in her eye's. 'Baby', 'half-ghoul'... 'Eto'...

"What..." Eto said aloud, almost a squeak. "Half-ghoul... A half-ghoul... what's that?" She then began to reach her hand to her left eye and slowly graze her fingers above it. "Is that why this eye doesn't change?" She asked no one in particular as she slightly furrowed her brow... She felt cold, as if a ghost had just passed right through her chest. She noticed that she began to intake more air than usual.

Then she heard a door close shut and her father call her name.

"Eto! Where are you?"

The half ghoul looked over her shoulder at the attic door and narrowed her eye's. Her father had lied to her her entire life... She wasn't just a ghoul, she was much more than just a ghoul, she was this... this 'Half-ghoul' thing... and her father hid that from her. Right now though... she was just confused, she needed to figure this out. Why he lied, who exactly her mother was, and what this made her... she left.

* * *

**One week later**

Of course, the young ghoul didn't expect being homeless to be easy. She was young, not stupid... But at the same time... she didn't expect it to be this hard... She was starving, God she was starving... But, killing people without being seen wasn't easy, and she hadn't had a chance... She was beginning to think that she would have an easier time living in a small town... maybe even another Japanese island.

All she had to wear was what she wore when she left. That dress she had, which was once white, was now a light brown and beginning to smell, badly in fact, but her own humility prevented her from taking it off... after all that, and her underwear, were her only pieces of clothing.

Suddenly a loud, piercing crack rang out through the air around her, prompting her to shift her head up from the sitting fetal position she had assumed, only for her face, dirty with rummaging through alleyways, and those dark circles under her eye's from sleepless nights, looking over her shoulder while she slept, To be struck with a small tap of water, hitting the very tip of her nose. She was almost stunned by the sudden shock of water grabbing her skin, then it happened again, this time on her forehead, then it came down more rapidly, until, finally, it became a pounding shower.

She was happy then, she hadn't felt a rush of water like this, neither warm nor cold, since she'd left. The girl giggled loudly and twirled once, her now damp and dirty dress catching wind as she did and causing tiny droplets of water to dance off of her. Of course someone could have been watching from the down they alleyway, but in honesty she could care less if they were, this was the first fun she'd had in a week.

Suddenly, without warning, a loud slap was hear, making the girl fall down flat on her ass at the sudden shock of it all. When she regained her bearings she found a person, body mangled, limbs twisted, chunks of flesh ripped from the body, and multiple puncture wounds on his torso... Large puncture wounds, big enough for the half-ghoul to fit her head through it... Now, if he was a human, she could've believed it, that he had died from the impact and that his limbs had been twisted around, but the smell leaking from his body, was unmistakably that of ghoul blood.

Pushing her hair out of the way of her face, Eto looked up to the pitch black sky, save for the city lights of Tokyo and the white falling water that surrounded that dotted it when it grew closer to her face. She squinted and began to scan the rooftops, her eye's tracing each building, looking for any clues as to how he ended up that way. Then, she spotted it, or what she thought to be it... Up above her, looking down, most likely checking on the man, was a dark figure, though the lower part was much more visible. A brown trench coat was visible from the waist down, but above that, nothing was visible... and even though she couldn't see them, she could swear their eye's met. Then, abruptly, he left, leaving just her and the corpse.

However, when the 'corpse' shot it's hands out grabbed her ankle, she realized it wasn't a corpse. Eto didn't shriek, because she was too shocked to, she instead pulled back, releasing her ankle from his grasp, and scooting away on the dirty alleyway floor. She found her heart pounding furiously and her hand clutching at it subconsciously.

"Please..." The still living corpse pleaded out to her, "Help me... Ah, it hurts..."

"R-right..." she replied, breathlessly, swallowing fear with a gulp, "How..?"

"I... know somebody... a ghoul, like us... He can help..." He said through teary eyes, bitter pained tears.

"O-ok, who?" she asked, calmly, hoping to calm the man down too.

"His name... It's Kuzen..."

Eto's heart stopped... She knew that name, how could she not? After all, he was the man who raise her. Her own... No, she refused to call him Father. He'd lied to her her entire life, about **who **and **what **she was, how could she call him father? She began shaking her head, her wet hair swaying with each turn of the neck, "I can't... I can't do that..."

"I- I'll tell you where he is... " the man groaned out, "He liv-"

"No, I mean, I can't do that... I know who he is... I just can't go back..."

"Please, help me..." he begged once more, "I want... I want to live..."

"I'm sorry, I cant..." she insisted, "Even if I could, I wouldn't know how to get you there... ** Look **at you... if I move you in the slightest I could kill you..."

"If you don't I could... die of blood loss..." He argued then, panting.

Eto then began to cry, her lower lip trembling in emotional pain and tears running down dirty cheeks and into the splashing puddles below her. She could hear him begging to help her in the back of her mind, but at the present, she knew what she had to do, she didn't want to though... Not to say she'd never done it before, but she never like it before and she didn't think she'd start now...

"Plea-" She cut him off mid sentence by stabbing a muscular, but thin, sword-like appendage kagune though the center of his forehead. She watched through watered eye's as his own rolled into the back of his head and he became dead weight on the end of her hunting organ, which she then carefully removed.

Eto looked upon his lifeless body as he laid there and began to notice something... well, she'd noticed it before, but never quite like this. Just how **human **he looked. His exposed flesh, the blood, his visible meat... And God was she hungry... She knew what she need to do then... While she fulfilled that hole inn her stomach though... She couldn't help but notice something... the way her kagune tingled as she ate.

* * *

**One Year After**

Eto, over time, had come accustomed to the taste of ghoul flesh, sure it tasted like shit but that wasn't what she ate it for... Often times she found preying upon ghouls rather than humans... But the ends more than justified the means... It wasn't long til she realized that eating a ghoul, particularly the Kakuhou, was a key to a new strength for ghouls... or maybe just half-ghouls like her... but that hardly mattered right now... because for whatever reason it was, she needed this power, because through reading her mothers diary she found out what, or rather who, she needed to take down...

Her mother, through what she could decipher through guess work, due to a limited education, was posing as a coffee waitress looking for a ghoul organization called "V". She then found words about her father, how she met him, how she loved him... how she found out he was a ghoul... Then... about her. About how much she loved her, and her smile, her eye's... about what she did to have her. Finally though... about Kuzen having to kill his lover.

All this made "V" her primary target... But before them, she had another priority... For far too long she'd been hunted, simply because of what she was, being born as something she didn't even want to fucking be... By the Commission of Counter Ghoul. Now finally she had the power to fight back, and that's what she would do... exactly what she would do. It was ironic though, that the ghoul they named, "The One-Eye'd Owl", was going to be their killer... But, speaking of that name, recently there had been an impostor that was imitating her... but after tonight that wouldn't matter.

* * *

Eto wasted no time being discreet about it, she came barging in the front door, clad in her entire Kakuja, The thick armor like version of her kagune which was a Goliath in size, and looking at her underneath it, no one would ever recognize her, in fact the Kakuja itself looked male so her gender itself kept her safe. The entry she made caused debre to splinter off from the wall, killing some investigators in the process, which almost made her laugh(Which would have come out as a deep guttural one through her kakuja), it was funny to her that her first kills didn't even land by her Kakuja.

Of course the CCG wasn't too badly surprised, as the lobby then was then flooded Investigators, many young, inexperienced, easy appetizers for her... What she was more concerned about was three men: Mado Kureo, a man who's wife she'd murdered, who was supposedly a better investigator than him, but that being said, if he was anywhere near her in experience than he could be more than an annoyance. The next was A man, who's name she did not know, but she had seen before. He had large eyebrows, large eye's... in fact he was the definition of large. The last was a man who had made quite a name for himself, The indomitable Shinohara... his nickname was well earned in fact, he was **strong**, He'd taken down a few powerful ghouls that she'd known herself.

"Arima, stay back!" She heard a voice say, and saw a man putting his arm in front of a young, black haired boy, about the same age as her, probably a bit older.

Eto smiled inside her protective cocoon, she could get rid of the grunt's fairly quickly if she acted now. Then, her Kakuja folded it's arms together and bent over. The giant armor then began to spasm violently and finally, with great force, released dozens and dozens of Ukaku projectiles flying at the investigators, most of which weren't quick enough to get out of the way, having them end up as trophies on the walls.

However, Eto had been foolish, in doing so she'd left herself wide open. Suddenly, she felt two, **large **quinque's pierce through her Kukuja and hit her in the stomach... The initial cuts were not deep, but then they **thrusted**, into her stomach further, nearly piercing her through. It had been Shinohara and the large one... It seemed then that her ambitions where over... but with no where to go she found herself retreating **into **the facility.

* * *

Eto could have laughed at herself... god she was pathetic... here she was, she who had thought she was strong enough to take the CCG down herself, was now Naked, due to the efects of a full body Kakuja on clothing, and covered in her own blood, hiding in a basement... It was funny...

Suddenly, she heard footsteps, followed by the sound of clanking weaponry and armor... Apparently they had prepared themselves after her retreat. Eto held her breath... she wasn't afraid of dying she just... didn't want to give these fuckers the satisfaction of killing her... She had every intention of doing that herself when she escaped, seeing as how little chance she ever had of being able to avenge her mother, not even being able to take down two humans, special investigators or not.

Suddenly, there was a loud stomp, followed by the sounds of flesh tearing, a blood curling scream, and a body hitting the floor. Eto looked over the wall she hid behind to see a familiar sight... It looked... like her own Kakuja, which shocked her, but what shocked her more was what she smelt from it... Her father, her gather had come to... save her?

That night Eto saw her father lose his arms trying to defend her, it pissed her off... Not because her father lost his arms, or that he was hurt trying to defend her, but rather because of what she did to him, What her disappearance must've done to him mentally and emotionally. He'd lied to her, that was true, but he also came to protect her... when she was in trouble.

* * *

"... And the rest... you can probably guess..." Eto said, now laying completely still on top of Kaneki, the only movement emanating from her figure was the slight inflation of her body from breathing. She was almost blanketing the boy underneath her, holding him still, but it wasn't like he was struggling... Though something had changed since she'd first came in here... He seemed calm, but more so almost sympathetic...

Eto then squeezed slightly tighter... "You see, the reason I never told you about the Owl is because I didn't think it would be an issue until just a few days ago." She paused, "Well, that... And because I'm not entirely proud of what I did... I didn't tell you everything... You wan't to hear about that?" She offered raising an eyebrow.

Then there was silence, a deep silence that lasted for a good minuet, it was calming because there was no tension in the air, just the slight buzz of air escaping and entering holes... Then Kaneki spoke. "That's... I'm sorry..." He said without looking at her. "I didn't think that it was so... complicated..."

Eto smiled to herself then, at least he still didn't hold on to anger.

"But I have to ask... Why did you stop going after 'V'?"

"Well, quite frankly it wouldn't be worth it... None of it could bring my mother back, and revenge can only bring you so much happiness... Risking death like that wouldn't be worth it... ANd that's where this relates to you as well... We don't need you to protect us, because it will only end up hurting you... you may die..." She paused, "Just like no one wanted you to die in place of Ryuko, no one wants you to die to protect them..." Eto then rolled Kaneki over to where they were face to face.

"Least of all me..." then, in a slow advance, Eto pressed her lips onto his and action which he more than willingly returned. Then, she found her fingers tracing up his face and his own on her back. She'd missed this feeling... It was greedy of her, she knew, but it was such a warm feeling. It relaxed her and woke her up all at once. Their tongues danced around one another and they pulled each other as close as they could without causing the other pain.

Then the door opened, letting light spill into the room and a familiar, almost condescending voice filled the room. "The door was open so I decided to just come on in..." Touka trailed off. It took her a while, but she eventually figured out what was going on. "Oh- oh, shit..." she said, a little shocked, "I'm sorry, I didn't think- I just- the manager wanted me to give these to you." she stammered, quickly throwing up a black cylinder filled with brown sugar cubes. I'll... I'll just leave these on the coffee table..."

And with that she left, making the room quite once more... Then the room was filled once more with Eto's loud laughter at the awkwardness of the situation.

* * *

**Authors Note: WOW 200 FOLLOWERS, I NEVER THOUGHT I'D GET THIS MUCH SUPPORT! THANK YOU ALL FOR THE REVIEWS AND WHAT NOT IT MEANS SO MUCH! I LOVE WRITING FOR YOU! Oh, and on a less flamboyant note, don't expect too many updates this month. I'm going to be pretty busy with personal things, but I'll try.**


	18. Plus One

By the time Eto was done laughing at the awkwardness of the younger girl, who had unintentionally stumbled upon a rather personal scene between the two half ghouls and more than likely had mistaken it for an even more personal scene, said girl had been long gone, and the sound of Eto's miniature guffaw had caused Kaneki to smirk a little as well. Eto's laughter made the artificial half-ghoul relax, he supposed she had that kind of voice. Of course it had never failed to do so in the past, the way she mumbled into his ear sometimes at night, made him melt.

"Ohhhh," Eto, sighed, her laughter fading into chuckles, "poor Touka..." and then it erupted again, causing her to fall back on the mattress, Next to Kaneki, who had propped himself halfway up, almost struggling to look up, due to his body being at such an uncomfortable angle, but at the same time he didn't really care to change it. His face shifted to Eto, who had once again calmed down from her chuckle fit, with a long sigh.

Then, her head shifted to Kaneki, who had a light smile on his face. Kaneki smiling like that wasn't something she'd seen in a while, and it made her want to laugh again. However, she figured she'd done enough of that already. Instead, in an attempt to keep that smile on his face, Eto reached out her hand, lightly but firmly gripping his jaw, and began moving it. "Ha...Ha...Ha." She said, slowly and deeply, matching the movements that she made using Kaneki's mouth, then gave a few chuckles. "Quit brooding," she said, rolling over on stomach, "Having Renji do it is enough already."

Kaneki kept the smile on his face, closing his mouth quickly after Eto let his jaw escape from her grasp. "Sorry, I didn't mean to." Kaneki apologized, staring at her as she picked her torso up off the ground, letting her waist downwards sag as if she had no feeling in them whatsoever. It was then that Kaneki noticed that the author's pajama shirt, which she wore regularly when she didn't need to leave her house, or if she just didn't feel like getting dressed, was completely unbuttoned, though being kept fairly closed, apart from the sliver of skin that ran down the center, revealing just a bit of her breasts.

"Took you long enough." Eto smiled, apparently catching Kaneki staring. It made it sound as if she'd done on purpose... which she did...

"Sorry..." Kaneki apologized once more, averting his gaze up to her face only to find her pulling him closer to her, to the point where their bodies were touching and Kaneki could feel her breasts pressing roughly against himself... but he didn't mind it to be honest.

"About what?" She asked, now using her body to push his down and slowly straddle him, "If I didn't want you to look I wouldn't have unbuttoned my shirt." Then, she began to unbutton his own shirt, slowly, carefully, unbinding each button as she went along, making his shirt slowly peel apart down the center, in a similar fashion to her own until finally she made it to the final button, making it an agonizing weight for him as she pulled it from it's slot in the shirt. It was funny to him, how much Eto's mood could shift on a dime. One moment she could be in a laughing mood and in the next she could be... well... she could be like this.

"Don't be rude, Kaneki." Eto playfully scolded him, "I helped you with tour top, now it's your turn."

The 20 year old could guess what she meant, slowly, carefully, he brought his hands up to her shoulders, where the collar of her shirt was now, due to being split apart and gripped it. Now he was hesitant, he thought that it he pulled it off it would be to soon, after all Eto made it seem like an eternity when she was undressing him.

"What's wrong?" Eto asked, smiling, "It's not like this is going to be your first time seeing me naked, is it?"

She had a point, it wasn't that long ago that he and Eto had sex, a first for both of them, but all the while it seemed as if she had years upon years of experience on him, despite there being only a 3 year age difference between them. Of course, it's not like her novels were without intimate scenes, so it made sense that she was familiar with sex in once way or the other. Then, with that in mind, Kaneki pulled down her shirt, revealing her naked breasts to himself, and the now heating air in the room.

The male half ghouls heart began to quickly race, beating rapidly in his chest, like an animal in bag desperately trying to escape. Just like Eto said, this wasn't the first time he'd seen her at her most vulnerable, but that didn't change the fact that it still made him excited. Of course though, now that her shirt was off, his was next, though the payoff, in his personal opinion, would hardly be as rewarding.

Eto, in contrast to him, was less timid in the removal of clothing, instead of carefully pulling it off of his body, she simply threw it off and decided to throw herself upon her current focus, **him. **her hands felt so warm as they traced up from his middle abdomen, to his chest, and finally around his neck to the back of his head, where her grip forced his hair to fluff a bit.

"You're much warmer." She breathed into his ear, in a shaky, excited tone, Kaneki could almost see the warmth emitting from her mouth, something he was currently dying to explore again. However, while Eto could keep her eagerness hidden as long as she wanted, Kaneki was not so gifted... The male body is quite the honest thing, of course and something was occurring from it that they could both feel.

Eto then began grinding her groin against his harder. "Heh, **much **warmer."

Then, the author began to press her lips to his own, over taking his mouth, an action which he more than happily accepted. Eto wasted no time in sticking her tongue into Kaneki's mouth, playing with his, as he responded in kind. All the while, she couldn't keep the smile off her face, at how much she was enjoying the euphoric feeling, and they hadn't even begun yet. Her eye's were almost slit's now, a physical description that Kaneki mirrored, and she could see, through that almost full lidded left eye, that his Kakugan was burning with a passion. Upon noticing this, she could feel her right eye doing something similar.

As exciting and warm as the interlocking of mouths was for the two of them, they came to an unspoken mutual agreement that they should go further into it. Eto then gripped Kaneki's wrist, the free one that wasn't currently gripping her bare back, and placed it between her breasts, In her opinion this was the best part, the wait, most importantly the one she had to endure... It could be seen as slightly masochistic, but in the end, it really didn't matter because this was between her and Kaneki now.

Slowly, agonizingly for herself, she began to run Kaneki's hand gently over her mounds, making the skin under his palm bristle at it's warmth. She continued moving his hand downwards, pushing it over her abdomen, all the while making her more and more excited, so much so that she could hardly breath in fact. It was a physical want, no, **need** that she had now, the same one that every creature that had the capacity to think gets, the need of sexual fulfillment. She continued until, finally, Kaneki got the idea of what she wanted him to do, by the time she got his hand down to her belly button when he at that time took over.

Kaneki, found himself moving his hand. almost subconsciously, down past her bellybutton and to the waist of her pajama bottoms, where he slowly, carefully, purposefully, slid his hand under. The pocket in between Eto's groin and the fabric was almost like an oven, a testament to her own excitement. If one were to go on that heat, then it was a safe bet that she was thoroughly enjoying this. In fact, every centimeter, that Kaneki moved his hand down, tickling his fingers lightly as he grew closer and closer to her impatient entrance, she shifted on top of him, letting out pleased, but annoyed groans every now and then.

Finally, though, Kaneki had decided that he'd kept her waiting enough, and began what she had intended for him to do. He began to massage her lips, running his finger over them, almost skimming them, but making enough contact to get a reaction out of her. Her reaction came in the form of the breaking of their interlocked mouths and her rapid breathing.

Next Kaneki, started to make his way outwards a little bit, stimulating her inner thighs, in response to this she tightened her legs on his hand, making him go back to her aroused sex. Now, Kaneki began to run his finger in between her lips, and he could feel her wetness covering his finger thickly. At the same time, Eto had begun to suckle on his neck, licking the skin lightly, slightly moaning into the skin, her green hair tickling his skin, making it bristle like he did her. And then, when he was certain that she was ready, he took his pointer finger, the one her body had lubricated so thoroughly and inserted it.

Kaneki could feel as Eto bucked slightly at that, her body moving suddenly, then stilling.

Next Kaneki inserted another finger, filling her entrance and joining it with the other finger and a similar reaction was gained from her once more.

Now Kaneki began to slowly move them in and out, prompting Eto to let go of his neck with her mouth and focus on the pleasure. She wanted to make Kaneki feel as euphoric as she was feeling right now, it wasn't fair that she was getting the most out of what should be about both of them... But, she could stand for him to keep going... just... just a little more.

Kaneki pulled both fingers out to the point that they were just touching her entrance, now covered in fluids, readjusted them, and pressed on further. He continued to repeat this motion several more times each time a getting a physical response from Eto, followed by a heavy breath. He never imagined that he was able to do things like this, but he supposed it was a primal urge that he felt, to please Eto, and that's what he was doing... Until she gripped his wrist and pulled his hand away from her wet sex.

"Sorry," Kaneki apologized, feeling as if he'd done something wrong, "what's wrong?"

"Heh, nothing..." Eto breathed out, sitting up on his groin, "Nothing at all... I'm just not ready to finish yet..."

Then, she focused her hands on the button of his pants, taking her time in undoing it. Next, she gripped the waist of his pajama pants and pulled them down, pushing her body up off him for long enough so that she could move them further down to his knees and take her own bottoms off as well. She smiled when Kaneki's body stiffened as his erect member was hit with cold air. Next she gripped it, her warms hands causing a different reaction, his heated breath escaping his body. Slowly, firmly, Eto began working the shaft of Kaneki's erection, making him squirm underneath her. She felt his member pulse with every stroke of her hand, getting more stiff. She also didn't fail to notice Kaneki's shaky breaths that accompanied each and every stroke.

Now, she gripped it tighter, not enough to cause pain, but enough to keep his member still while she lowered herself on top of him, forcing his erect member into her eager entrance, pushing it in to where it was practically covered completely. Next she leaned forward, covering his body with her own as best she could, while keeping him inside of her. Next she pushed her lips onto his once more, interlocking them tightly, all the while moving her hips slowly up and down on Kaneki's erect member, causing a new euphoric feeling within them both to erupt.

Just like before, the sensation was incredible. Eto's sex was so warm around his own, making him eagerly push back into her, meeting her half way there as she pushed back down, creating a slapping sound when the two hit together.

As they continued, Eto broke their lips once more, but kept herself in the same position, eagerly pushing back down into Kaneki. Her breath was a low, pleasured groan, that tickled resonated from deep within her throat. She threw her head back slightly and laid it back into the crook of Kaneki's neck in a resting manner, all the while keeping pace with his body as the kept going. Now, she slowly moved her hand over his left arm, moving it all the way down to own hand, and interlocked her own fingers with his tightly, not daring to let go as she brought it up to be on the same level as their heads.

She then turned her head, to where her mouth was facing his ear and said; "Bite me..."

Kaneki wasn't quite sure he had heard her right when she said that, he wasn't sure even actually said that to begin with, after all he was currently preoccupied with the process of bucking against Eto's hips and trying to push himself deeper into her warmth. However, he knew exactly what she meant whenever she bit into the crook of his neck, enough to draw blood but not enough to cause any serious discomfort.

The sensation, as rough as it was, was what put Kaneki on a teetering edge, he was so close to giving in that he might as well have, but he wanted to make it last. Remembering what Eto had said to him Kaneki then bit down on her shoulder, which had made it's way to his mouth, and suddenly knew why Eto told him to do so. Just like she said, half ghouls taste delicious to other ghouls, including half ghouls. And, as his lovers blood drained into his mouth, he found himself losing the battle to keep himself falling of that edge.

Kaneki felt an eruption, one coming out of him, and his eye's closed in ecstasy, as he finished, followed by Eto, who had bit down slightly harder at the same moment. Now they were still, as if time had stopped, reveling in the previous events fondly, connected physically, and more than likely emotionally. Then, Eto let go of her grip on his neck and pulled back, fresh blood on her mouth, which she quickly wiped away, followed by Kaneki who had taken the time to wipe her shoulder of blood as well, revealing a freshly healed patch of skin.

Eto smile was soft as she rolled to the side of the white-haired boy, her chest heaving due to the excitement of it all, as she pulled a soft blanket over herself, then pullling Kaneki under it with her. "Ahhh..." she sighed, happily, "Wasn't that fun, Kaneki?" she asked to a now sleeping Kaneki. The whole comedic presence of the moment would have made her laugh, had she not realized she was just as tired, and joined him in sleep.

* * *

**(Authors note) I'm sorry this is so short, but I really wanted to get SOMETHING out here for you guys, as well as working on my SMUT writing skill, because I felt that the last sex scene I wrote for this story was ****severely lacking, Anyways thanks!**


	19. Choices

In Anteiku, the quiet, friendly, little shop that housed an all ghoul staff, who catered to both their own kind and humans, A rather comedic scene was ensuing before the attending staffs eye's. Recently, quite recently, the little coffee shop had accepted a new member. This particular member, like a certain other two, had once been a force of terror and power in the ghoul world. A sadist, who had enjoyed the torture of others, a monster who even the "Doves" would avoid crossing paths with, and who, admittedly, had been a bit of a blessing to have as a worker, due to only his presence making some of Anteiku's more troublesome customers stop coming to the stop all together. What was so funny though, was watching the giant of a man, who hardly looked to fit his work attire, in that it seemed to small, even after being ordered to fit him, clumsily give people their coffee orders, and watching the ghoul customers uncomfortably and awkwardly interact with him as he seemed to tower above them.

At least all of it was funny to Touka, but at the same time she held a deep seething hatred towards the man. For what he had done to Kaneki, for what he had turned him into, she didn't find it appropriate at all to be co-workers with him. But, the managers word was practically law in the 20th ward, and that word was "Treat him as you would one another." Of course Touka could have been a smart ass and treated him like, say, Nishiki, but she knew what the old man meant, and didn't really want to upset him.

Most inappropriate of all, in Touka's honest opinion, seemed to be that Hinami, of all people, had given him quite the warm welcome. The former Jason of the 13th ward's living situation was unknown to everyone besides the manager, so Hinami had offered him a place to stay here at night... with her and Touka. Thankfully, he declined the offer, in a rather kind way if Touka was being honest, but still with a way of doing so that made her uneasy.

She wasn't the only one unable to trust the man, however. Nishiki had also been keeping his distance from his former superior, and with good reason. The college boy had told her of the psychopaths cruelty, his temper, and his backwards idea of "fun", and all of it made her distrust the man even further than she already did. Though, something he had said had caught her ears even more so than the tales of cruelty. Nishiki had told her that he seemed "much different" than before, while still maintaining that unnerving aura about himself. And she noticed it, too, from what Nishiki had told her at least. There was no sickening smile, no cracking of the fingers(a habbit Kaneki had unwillingly picked up), and no evil glares. He was almost a statue, he didn't argue when he was told to do work, nor did he grumble, he just did so and went back to what he was doing before hand quietly.

Then, as if speaking of him would summon the man, he walked past her, past Irimi, past Enji, both of whom paid him no mind, and finally to where Hinami had, without his notice taken over his job cleaning the small coffee cups that Yamori was previously in charge of. Everytime, Touka would bristle at the image of what **could **happen to Hinami if Yamori decided to snap... It would be like a tooth pick being snapped in half with no effort. Thankfully, Yamori politely took the cup from her and assumed his cleaning of the cups.

Next the familiar chiming of the door opening rang through the shop, alerting Touka and the others in the coffee shop, those who cared enough, to the entryway. Through it, emerged a small girl, wearing baggy green and yellow clothing that ran down to the point where it almost covered her feet completely, of which were dressed with red dress shoes and just poking out from underneath the fabric. Over her shoulder was a small, light green bag which rested softly against her hip. All of this Touka identified to one person, her older sister figure, Eto.

"Hello, everyone!" She called out, more so to the staff than anyone else, in a particularly cheery voice waving her hand in a lazy waving motion.

Touka smiled a thin smile at her a greeted her similarly, "Hey, Eto." But, seeing the woman, she couldn't help but be reminded of the scene she'd stumbled in on about three weeks ago, When Eto and Kaneki were at the closest she'd seen them. So, to change her train of thought, she asked a question; "Uh, where's Kaneki?", _dammit_, "Didn't he have work today?" Upon hearing herself ask, Touka realized that alot of her thoughts had been about the white haired boy lately. It was concern for him, because no matter how many times she saw him act as close to normal as events had allowed, she couldn't help but feel like he'd stop being Kaneki and become someone else... Like Ayato did.

"Ah, he was tired today, we stayed up later than usual last night..." Eto informed, moving toward the counter and setting her bag down next to her. Touka, and more than likely Eto, also noticed that Yakumo's head shifted slightly when Kaneki's name was brought up, and found themselves both eyeing him, Touka with a more clear contempt, and Eto with a more clear annoyance. What surprised practically everyone in the store was that Kaneki and Yakumo... were getting along perfectly. Not quite best friends, but like normal coworkers would, hell, they even went on trips to get coffee beans sometimes together.

"Anyways," Eto spoke, breaking Touka from her thoughts, "Is my father here right now, I'd like to see him." Touka couldn't help but notice that her tone change from one of confidence, to a slight urgency, But, it was probably her imagination.

"Sure, he's up stairs..."

Eto nodded then sat up, keeping her hand on just above her waist, and grabbed her purse. Then, she walked up stairs, without a word leaving Touka to wonder whether she'd been here or not at all. Eto was never really one to stay long when she came by.

* * *

The white doors slid open, letting the cool night air into Kanou general hospital and right into the young nurse, Taguchi's face. The petite young woman sighed in relief as the smell of medicine, the old, the dying, and the dead was replaced by the smells of the city. Which, in hindsight, wasn't much of an improvement, but at least the people where less morbid right?

The nurse then exited the building, quite hurriedly, if one was to judge her, all she wanted to do today was get home, get out of her uniform, take off her bra, slip into something baggy and comfortable, eat food and watch television until she passed out on her couch with the program of her choice blaring from her severely outdated CRT television.

She'd received an email from doctor Kanou today, at work. Just like all the other times before, the first part of it read; "delete this message after reading", but that was the only thing normal about it. The note itself read:

_ Taguchi,_

_As you know, of our experiments, only three have yielded results: Kaneki, Kurona, and Nashiro. The rest have turned into useless blobs of flesh that I keep in tanks, or as guards against that those awful organizations, "V" and "Agoiri". Both of which, as you know, are after me. At any rate, however, there's been the possibility of another successful experiment... All I can tell you is that the name I've chosen for this one, for the time being, is "Orange." They've responded to Rize's Kakuhou rather well... It was a rough transition for their body, of course, but now they've stabilized and seem to be responding appropriately to it once more..._

And, as instructed, the nurse did just that, deleted the message... But for herself, and unbenounced to Dr. Kanou, she had handwritten down the message and stuffed it in her bag. She didn't particularly enjoy what they where doing... Now, she liked the idea of it... Bridging together the gap between humans and ghouls and ultimately, one day "Escaping the bird cage" as Kanou put it... He never told her much, he just paid her extra, and she needed the money, without being forced into prostitution. Still, the only experiments she felt right about to date were Kurona and Nashiro, but kidnapping unwilling test subjects... made her stomach churn.

What's worse, is that she had no idea who this new test subject was... and Kanou wasn't really the type to go out and take people himself... he either got the subjects from the hospital or lured the homeless in with the promise of food or liquor, etc... But, as far as she knew he hadn't returned from the hospital recently, and the message would have included Iif he was a homeless person... There was a reason he was being secretive about it...

Then, she felt her shoulder rush into a hard object, which caused her to stagger a little bit, before regaining her balance. _Fuck... _she mentally swore, as she began to massage the area. Looking back over her shoulder now, the nurse had seen the object, or person rather, that caused the pain in her shoulder. He was a big man, with long hair and a very tattered coat that reached down to his calves... That's all she could tell about him from the back, and quite frankly, didn't give a damn about trying to figure out what he really looked like.

"Cunt..." She muttered under her breath, before continuing on her way.

Then, as she turned her head, a large hand gripped itself over her mouth, squeezing tightly, hoping to block all screams she tried to make. Then a strong, almost steel-like arm wrapped around her abdomen and she found herself being hoisted into the air. She was kicking and screaming(into a hand), thrashing around violently as her captor, who was most definitely a ghoul, scaled from building to building, sticking his Kagune into the concrete for support, as to make sure they didn't fall back down.

It wouldn't take a genius to guess what was going on... It was either aforementioned ghoul organizations coming for her. Somehow... Somehow they must've figured out that she worked with Kanou, and now they thought they would use her to get to him... and what's worse... She knew she would crack... **quickly.**

Then, they stopped, and it felt as if every bone in her body began to rattle and she couldn't breath for a moment. Then, she dropped... falling to her knees, then face first unto the concrete with a loud, audible smack... She must've lost concious for a second because she swore she everything had gone black... but that was probably the night sky. She heard the sound of the man who'd captured her step over her and across from her, prompting her to look up... only for her eye's to meet six other ghouls waiting for her.

One had blonde hair which was swept back at the top, the sides of his head in not such a style. He was wearing a white suit as well, and what appeared to be some kind of eye make up, with a lazy expression on his face. Next to him was a boy who appeared to be no older than 14, with dark purple hair and covered in black clothing with a rim of fur on his coat. Then there were two similarly dressed people, the only difference between them was their masks. Next there was an incredibly tall ghoul, wearing a red cloak and a mask, with a cartoonist smile on it, and finally there was the one at the forefront, who was just now being joined by her kidnapper. He had snow white hair, pink eye's and a neon red mask that reflected it's surroundings, he wore a white coat that covered every inch of his body.

Then, the white haired ghoul knelt down in front of her and gently pushed her hair back out of her face. "Miss Taguchi, I presume?"

Taguchi didn't answer, she was just starring blankly ahead.

"Hmm.." The ghoul said, lowering his hand from her face, "Well now, we have a deal for you... If you tell us where Kanou is hiding, we will let you live... you won't be free... but you'll be alive... and off limits from the other members of our... organization... What do you think..?"

Once more she didn't answer.

"Yes, I think it's a reasonable deal, too..." He answered for her, standing up.

* * *

Kanou found himself, for whatever reason, taking the long way to "Orange's" room, for the umpteenth time that day... He didn't know why he was so excited... Maybe it was the same principal as a child finding the presents his parents, parent, grandparents, uncle, aunt, guardian, whatever they may have had hidden from them for their birthday or some other occasion and pretended not to have found it but couldn't help to peak every now and then. For Kanou, that was the exact description of how he felt... Orange was the first subject in weeks that had yielded any progress, rather than just regressed into some disgusting misfit, unfit for life... But, he'd already told all that to Taguchi in the E-mail.

Kanou turned his head, looking at the small containers filled with his failed... "Undesirables". Tiring work for each one, and each one had become a failure in the end... A crushing blow to his motivation, but never the less he continued with his work... Yes, there were sacrifices, but those people... were more than likely unfit to begin with... The future of humanity, and the ghouls, depended on strong subjects, anything less was like an oil spill in the ocean.

Now, his thoughts shifted to Nashiro and Kurona... The first experiments that had been successful since their figurative older brother, Ken Kaneki. The two had been invaliable research material and even more invaluable on acquiring "Orange." They, unlike the other experiments, had been willing to undergo the procedure and had come out, while not as developed as Kaneki, strong in their own right. And then there was their past with the CCG... Making them even more valuable.

Finally, as he turned into a corridor, he had reached his destination. The corridor was empty, except for a single, black door. There was an excitement for Kanou, every time he laid his eye's upon the door. Knowing that behind it, one of the next steps in evolution waited for him, his mark on the world... What he would be remembered for.

No matter how many time he had succeeded in the transplant no matter how many times... it still always felt like the first to him. Slowly, he reached for the door knob, almost reluctant to open the door, as if by opening it, he would doom "Orange." Nevertheless though, he opened the door and stepped in.

The lights were off, all of them except the single light illuminating "Orange." It shown down on him like a holy light, quite fitting if Kanou were to give his voice, considering what he was. Everything seemed still, everything except Kanou, as he moved toward the operating table that "Orange" laid upon, numb, but alive.

"Hello, How are we today?" Kanou asked, putting on his friendly doctor voice. He knew it wouldn't work, but he still did it out of habit.

"It hurts..." the subject replied, not moving, but more groaning on the table.

"Well, I'd imagine." The doctor replied, "After all, I don't have the anesthetics that I do at the hospital... You were quite the thrasher... Really I didn't expect you to survive, you were more a practice for conscious implantation... but here you are... and holding up quite nicely I might add."

A groan was the subjects only response.

"How does it feel?" Kanou inquired, "To have that Kakuhou inside you?"

No response.

"You see... I've always wanted to know what ghouls feel, living as they do, fighting as they do... **dying **as they do. So please, for the sake of my curiosity..." He trailed off, moving his hands in a questioning motion.

Again, no answer.

"Well, I suppose after a while you can tell me, huh?" He laughed a bit. "For now rest up well... You'll need it." Then, Kanou stood up, sighing, "Till next time." Then he left, leaving his latest experiment alone, in his all but dark room, writhing in a pain so foreign to him that it seemed unreal.

* * *

Touka had begun to notice something... Eto had been here for quite some time, an incredibly long time, about 5 hours give or take... Alot longer than her standard visit. But then, Eto was never really someone to stick to to much of a schedule. Perhaps that was why Touka looked up to her so much... Touka would love not to be bound by time and just do what she wanted... But that was because Eto was a writer and she made good money... The waitress on the other hand was failing a literature class, so that career path was out of the question. Although, in regards to the class... she could always ask Eto for help, but her damn pride wouldn't let her.

Then she heard footsteps ring out on the wooden staircase, giving the information that somebody was descending from the second floor. Touka turned her head but didn't bother to do the same with her own body and looked up the stairs, expecting to see Eto. And, as expected, Eto came, descending down the staircase, in her usual happy mood.

"You were in there for a while..." Touka commented, setting down an empty cup with a small clang.

"Well, it has been a while since I last saw my father, can I not spend a while with him?" Eto retorted, with a smart ass tone, raising an eyebrow in mock confusion.

"Just making an observation." the waitress said, defending her own prying into the woman's business. "So, how is Kaneki doing..." Touka changed the subject, motioning with her eye's towards Yakumo, who was busy drinking coffee at the moment. "I mean, is he getting better or..."

Eto smiled, "Well, he no longer wants to go after 'The one-eye'd Owl', and he seems to be getting happier day by day... I don't think it'll be long before the old Kaneki is back." She sighed sitting down now. "But, still, that's only what I think... Still, though he has improved. Whenever he's calm he acts practically the same way he did before, but there is still this tangible feeling of uncertainty with him."

"Really..." Touka acknowledged, lowering her eye's for a moment, "I hope that it's not the latter."

"Yeah... Well, I should probably get going now, Kaneki is probably getting bored staying at home by himself." The author guessed, standing up from her seat and heading towards the door.

"You tell him to stop being lazy and come into work!" Touka called out, as Eto laugh, receiving a laugh in response.

* * *

Now Eto found herself walking home, in the cool night air of Tokyo, surrounded by the thriving night life of the city. The young men and women going out to have a fun time, the clubs being filled up, and the bars doing the same. Eto loved the city at night, maybe it was because she had never truly been in any danger from the ghouls or humans of Tokyo, not in a long time anyways. She was practically untouchable, even at her weakest.

Now, though, Eto found herself in an empty street... Which should have made her feel safer than any other time... But truth be told, these eerie silences are what scared Eto the most. These silences usually meant death, or impending death, and they made her second guess herself, which was never a good thing. But, against her better judgement, she went down the street.

And, of course, something had happened. Before her now stood seven men; One had blonde hair which was swept back at the top, the sides of his head in not such a style. He was wearing a white suit as well, and what appeared to be some kind of eye make up, with a lazy expression on his face. Next to him was a familiar face, Ayato, who wouldn't dare look the person who had helped raise him in the eye... Then there were two similarly dressed people, the only difference between them was their masks. Next there was an incredibly tall ghoul, wearing a red cloak and a mask. At the forefront was a muscular ghoul, who had a similar build to Yakumo if Eto had to describe him, with long flowing hair and fu man chu mustache. Then last, was a man, who's hair reminded her of Kaneki's in it's whiteness, and who's mask seemed to reflect everything around it.

"Miss Takatsuki, I presume..." He inquired, as he looked upon her.

Eto didn't bother to answer him, instead she kept her eye's on Ayato, who still wouldn't meet her gaze. She guessed that he couldn't bring himself to do it, after all, he knew exactly what he put Touka through, and figured the others would probably be more than a little upset with him. But, that was the furthest from the truth.

"My name is Tatara, leader of the 'Aogiri tree' organization. And, after consulting with my colleagues here... except for the youngest of our group... we thought you could benefit from joining us."

"Oh, how so?" Eto asked, imitating curiosity, purposefully rudely, hoping to offend the man.

"Well, if you don't then your friends and family at Anteiku, will be wiped out..."

Eto smiled then, feeling more than a little cocky at the moment. "You came to me asking for my membership in your little club, meaning you know who I am... But I don't think you know exactly what I'm capable of... To put it in short, I could kill you right now, without any effort whatsoever."

"Oh, we are well aware of that." Tatara spoke calmly, "But could you do the same to the entirety of the CCG?"

"What?" Eto asked, feeling suddenly nervous and enraged.

"Kill me if you like, but if you do, or if you refuse our offer, we will send a certain human, a nurse, we have to the CCG and force her to telll them all about your little coffee shop... Needless to say, when they hear that one of the 'Owls' is there, they will come out in full force... Of course that's completely up to you..."

Now, for the first time found herself powerless in a situation, completely. Held back by her own compassion for those she cared about. She didn't have any other option really, it was either this, or her family was killed, or exposed to the public, securing a life of running for the rest of their days. Bitterly, the half ghoul began walking towards the group. Reluctant with each step, she moved towards the people who captured Kaneki, an annoyance on her face, until finally, she was at the leader of the group.

Then she grabbed him by his coat collar and pulled him down to her level, "Fine then, Tatara, but if they end up hurt or in danger in anyway, I'll destroy your entire little club."

"... You have my word."


	20. A rather Familiar copy

Eto, as usual for the last week, found herself in the room designated to her when they'd arrived here... "Here" being a rather large grouping of abandoned apartments in Okinawa.

The author hadn't expected **this **to be what here life with Aogiri was going to be. She imagined that she'd have to leave at inopportune times in the day, lying to peoples faces, and slipping out when no one would notice. In all honesty it did seem a little like some kind of sit-com that one would come across when channel surfing.

Instead, however, the author had been forced to live in the Okinawa apartment complex, along with the rest of Aogiri, and intentionally confined herself to this room. She supposed she did this because her subconscious had still refused to accept her predicaments. After all, she didn't like the idea of leaving the life she already had, which was pretty much what she'd wanted all along but more so than that she didn't want to leave Kaneki.

She was worried about Kaneki, how he would handle this, after all it had been a week, who knows what he was doing at the moment? Eto hated to think that he was out there trying to find her, mostly because she was afraid he'd get himself killed. After all though, he still somewhat blamed himself for Ryuko's death and she was concerned he'd go to find her, negating her entire purpose for joining Aogiri.

Eto sighed and looked up from staring at her folded legs and towards the sea, half expecting Godzilla or some other kaiju to emerge from the depths. The author had been sitting on the balcony of the room for the past hour or so, staring at the beauty of the tides almost made her forget where she was and how severely fucked up her life had become, but in the end the escape, like many other things was just temporary.

Still, though, she supposed that as temporary escape, it was enough. Besides that she enjoyed how the ocean hair played with her hair, tickling her face, she guessed that was probably how Kaneki felt when she played with his hair.

Then, the door opened, revealing that tall china-man who seemed to be the leader of the organization. Every now and again he'd come about in her room, carrying food mostly, and leaving it there for her. In his hand was said food, wrapped in a beige paper with blood soaking the wrapping paper, turning it dark in color. Then, with a lazy flex of his forearm, he tossed her the package.

Eto gripped the package as it landed squarely between her two palms. There was something different about this package, though. It was something that wafted furiously, and uninvitedly into her nose. She wrinkled said nose and threw one hand up into the air, holding the package up. "What's this?" She asked, already knowing what it was, she just hoped that he hadn't asked himself the question that she did in jest on some days.

"Ghoul." he answered, turning.

"Yeah, I can smell it, what I'm wondering is why?" She retorted, raising an eyebrow.

"Because I want to see how strong a Kakuja can be."

_Dammit._

Tatara then began to calmly walk back to the way he came, as if he'd forgotten why he'd even come into the room in the first place. However, then, he abruptly came to a halt, his coat not quite getting the memo as it carried itself forward but then corrected itself, becoming as still as he was.

"By the way," he spoke, turning his head, "This Friday you're going to a book signing... It would create suspicion if a well-known artist suddenly went off radar with out word to anyone... just to let you know."

"I have a book, signing?" Eto asked, smirking, "Do you know how this works at all? I can't just **have a book signing. **My agent has to book me one in advance."

"I **do **know how this works." he defended himself, still maintaining a calm voice, "You're agent has been informed about your situation, and he's also been informed about who you really are, **and **that he'll be killed if he runs to the CCG and tells anyone, in fact we've posted two guards to follow him wherever he goes."

Eto's smirk had been wiped off her face, but she had one more thing to ask.

"Did you send Jason too Anteiku?" She asked, turning her body now, not in an angry way, but in a curious one.

Tatara turned away again and began towards the door. "No, he went on his own... We had no idea where he went until just now, but we aren't aiming to get him back either, if his allegiance had shifted to a simple beating then what use is he?"

"Then, I have another question." Eto spoke, "Why did you choose me over Kaneki?"

Tatara paused, confused by the question, "It was an easy choice, you're the One-eye'd -Owl, he's just some college boy who happens to have superb resistance to pain and incredible regeneration abilities, but he lacks skill... If we wanted we could have taken you both... I guess I was just feeling nice."

"Ok, fair enough, but what do you want me to do here? You can't just have needed e to sign books..."

"We will get to that part when **we **have all the information we need." Tatara answered, actually emitting some form of emotion with the last bit. "That nurse is proving more resilient than expected."

Then, finally, he left, leaving Eto with herself and her somewhat depressed thoughts. It was amazing to her, just how much a life could change in an instant, but then it wouldn't be the first time that her life had changed, would it? Eto then sighed, resting two hands on her stomach and laid down on the balcony floor. No, she supposed not.

* * *

Naki found himself, as usual, ever since boss Yamori left, bored out of his god damn mind. Sure he had Gagi and Guge, but they sure as fuck didn't talk, and the sounds they did make were mostly guttural noises that only either of the two could understand. He couldn't read either, not that there were any books laying around in their current occupancy, but that was just one more thing he couldn't do... They had an author now... Yamori may have wanted to hear about that.

When Yamori left, he told Naki to report anything Aogiri did to him in his free time, to keep tabs on them. But, honestly there wasn't much of anything to report at all, he supposed **this **was something... But why would his boss give a shit about some bookworm? Though, it really didn't matter, he just wanted a reason to get the hell out of this shit-lame place.

With that, Naki pushed himself off of his old mattress in his small living quarters in the complex and began towards the door, opening it only to see a tall man in a white cloak.

"Hey, Tatao," _or whatever your name is_, "I'm going out to Tokyo. Got some business to take care of." However, as he squeezed through the mans body and the door frame a calm, but firm hand fell on his shoulder.

"What 'business'?" He asked, not bothering to look at him.

Naki began to sweat then, no one had ever cared about what he was doing when he left, so the question had caught him off guard. Yamori had wanted their meeting to be kept secret, he wasn't planning to overthrow Aogiri, just make sure they didn't mess with him or those Antaking guys or whatever the hell their shop name was. But, Tatara was a fucking scary guy when he had to be.

"Personal business." Naki lied, "You know it gets boring around here when you have so little women, and the ones you we do have are mostly ogres." Then, he tried once more to get past Tatara, however a new strength met his shoulder, pushing him back into his quarters.

"No, I don't think you should be going anywhere, at least not anywhere out of Okinawa. Until I say otherwise you'll stay on the island." He paused. "And if you're going to lie to me I suggest you make it more convincing... What gave you away is the fact that Okinawa has no specialty shops."

"Huh?" Naki tilted his head, "I can't fuck a book. I was talking about the women of the night I see wandering around sometimes."

Tatara paused... "Disgusting..."

* * *

**2 days later**

_Well, _Touka mentally sighed, as she sat down on the couch next to Kaneki, _at least he's not trying to run off and find her... though I wouldn't blame him if he tried. _

About a week ago it had come to Anteiku's attention that Eto had gone missing. Now, it was absolutely no secret that Eto could damn well take care of herself. But that's why they were worried. It meant Eto had left on her own accord. Touka, honestly, didn't understand why it was such a big deal, however. Eto hadn't been seen for moments at a time before, but for some reason, when Kaneki had told them that Eto hadn't returned from her trip over to the coffee shop, the manager turned pale. Well, paler, considering his age.

So, just as worried for Kaneki as his daughter(although he tried to hide that worry), he told Touka to go stay with Kaneki. So, that's what Touka did, taking Hinami with her because honestly, the girl would never forgive Touka if she neglected her the opportunity to see her big brother, whom she rarely saw anymore.

Touka, for whatever reason, acted quite annoyed about the whole thing, putting on a whole show about having to babysit Kaneki... But, it wasn't that she was annoyed by it, no. It made her relieved to see Kaneki at a place besides work where he had to put on a nice face(even though he rarely came anymore). The truth was, Touka scared of losing him again, that she'd fail to protect him once more and he'd end up even more fucked up... after all it had happened once.

Touka looked over to Kaneki now, who was currently invested in some old Kaiju movie that Eto had left in the player. It was odd, to see him enjoying a leisurely time while Eto was missing. She wasn't angry, though it may have seemed that way, she was confused. He cared for her didn't he? Clearly he did, it didn't take a genius to figure that out, but why was he so calm?

But, Touka really shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth, after all it was lucky that he **didn't** run after her. It wasn't that long ago since he said he'd be taking off after the One-Eye'd Owl, whoever that was.

"What're you watching?" Touka asked, keeping her eye's on him while she relaxed on the sofa.

"Godzilla against Mechagodzilla..." He replied, clearly invested in the media before him.

"I haven't heard of that one..." Touka replied, truly she didn't care for the Kaiju movies as much as Eto had, but she'd seen quite a few. "I mean, I've heard of Godzilla **vs **Mechagodzilla, but not **Against**. Even though thats not much of a difference... What's it about?"

"Well, to put it in short, to combat Godzilla the Godzilla defense force used the bones of the original Godzilla as a base for a mechanical equivalent and the supposed soul of the first Godzilla is possessing Mechagodzilla."

"Wow..." Touka commented, "Sound's complex."

Kaneki chuckled "I guess."

Then, came the sound of a fist gently pounding on wood, alerting any occupants on the other side that they had visitors... well... they **hoped **they were visitors.

Of course, and Kaneki was sure Touka was more familiar to this feeling than he was, there was the tangible fear that "Doves" had discovered their identities. But, nevertheless, The half-ghoul got up anyway's and started towards the door, he was less-likely to get discovered either way should it be "Doves".

The boy turned the knob, feeling the satisfying clink of the locking mechanism reluctantly releasing the metal that held the door in frame. When he finally did open the door he was greeted by a... somewhat familiar sight.

At first he noticed Uta, standing a bit away from the door, wearing shades to cover his eye's and his typical all black clothing, with the symbols and old language words on it. In front of the tattooed mask-maker, was a woman, with light orange hair that fell just to her chest, wearing a tight black dress that seemed to sparkle when the light reflected off certain little black beads on it and ended at the thick of her thighs.

"So thiiiiiiis is Eto's little boyfriend, huh?" the woman cooed, leaning forward to meet Kaneki at the face. It was at that moment that Kaneki could see the drunken redness on her face and the stinging smell of alcohol wafting from her breath and straight into his nostrils, causing him to step back a bit.

The woman then shifted her head to Uta, not bothering to shift her body, and spoke again. "I didn't think Eto was into younger guys..."

Uta simply extended his bottom lip and shrugged.

"Who are you?" Kaneki spoke, interrupting the single sentence conversation, directing the question to the orange haired woman. The girl looked back at him in surprise, almost some offence, but not really an accusatory look, but certainly a little upset.

"Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaatttt?" She almost sung, spilling the drink, that Kaneki just now noticed she held, a little on the grass next to the side walk. "You mean she never told you about me?"

"Ahmmmm..." Kaneki began, trying not to upset the intoxicated woman any further.

"Oh, Itori!" Touka greeted, running up to meet her, a rare smile on her face.

"Oh my, is that Touka?" Itori coed a bit, stepping into the house. "Oh, wow, you've gotten so big! I haven't seen you in six years." She pouted, "But, I suppose that's my fault, after all I've had plenty of time to do so."

"That's fine." Touka laughed.

* * *

Now the four sat in the dinning room, at the table, starring at Itori as she spoke with a bit of drunken slur to her voice. "Well, I happened to be visiting Uta when we heard the news that Eto had gone missing..." she then turned her head to Uta with squinted eye's and said, "I don't know why Yomo went to you first rather than me, but whatever, hmph."

"Because my shop is closer, and you're never really at your bar." Uta explained, debunking her accusation of being left out by the two, logically.

"Anyways, then we made our way over to the coffee shop, just because we wanted to drop into see how the old man was doing, and then we came up here to see Touka and you."

"Okay..." Kaneki responded looking at her, "But, how did you know Eto and I were together?"

Itori then placed a finger to her nose and grinned, "Just like some ghouls excel in hearing, others excel in smell, usually those who are gifted when it comes to going after a certain prey rather than just finding whoever, and I can smell her alllllll over you kid... you dirty little perv."

"I-"

"Shhhh..." Itori said throwing a finger up. "I'm sure you're wondering how I know your squeeze huh, kid?"

"Not now Itori." Uta said, interrupting politely.

"But I wanna tell emmmmmmmm"

"You can, later, they wanted us back at the shop remember?"

"Oh, yeah, the muscly guy said he had some news for Kaneki, right?"

Kaneki jumped at that, feeling a sudden rush, "You mean, Yakumo, right?"

"Yeah, Yakumo was his name, something he found or another..."

"Then let's go now..."

"Okay, then, kid." Itori spoke suddenly motivated. Then, her vision shifted, finding Touka. "Hmmm? Is something wrong Touka, you look concerned?"

"Oh, nothing." She said, shifting her body, smiling a bit, "I'm just worried about Eto is all... But I don't think I'll be going to the meeting. Tell me what happens though. Hinami is still asleep up stairs and I don't want to concern her with these things... she's already had enough happen as it is..." With that, she let her eye's linger on the up stairs of the home.

* * *

It was dark by the time Kaneki and the other two ghouls had arrived at Anteiku. Apparently, Itori and Uta didn't drive, so they found themselves walking through the streets of the 20th ward looking like a rather odd group. Kaneki, with his white hair, Itori with her cheerful demeanor and drunken way of walking,and Uta, with, well his appearance in general.

In any case, however, when they had arrived at Anteiku, they had been greeted by Yomo, who wore that big, gray, overcoat that he wore every time Kaneki saw him. The half-ghoul did not fail to notice the look of disapproval when he looked at his two old friends. Uta, who simply shrugged and Itori who playfully tapped Yomo's chest and pouted out; "Oh, come on Renji. We got him here, didn't we?" before pushing on through.

It wasn't any real surprise to see that the entirety of the staff, save for Touka and Hinami, were at the second floor, but what was a surprise was seeing Banjou and his gang there, Banjou keeping a certain distance from Yakumo, who stood at the end of the room with his arms crossed. Banjou had been looking for a place to stay in the 20th ward since he came to it, and Kaneki hadn't heard from him since. However, he was glad to see that he wasn't dead. or worse. it lifted his spirits up a little.

Truth be told, despite his calm, cool composure for the week since Eto had disappeared, Kaneki was feeling torn apart inside. What the others had said was true, there weren't many people that could bend Eto to their will, which made for what was actually an even scarier thought... that Eto left on her own accord...

Then, Yoshimura spoke up, coughing into his fist a bit first, "Now that we have all arrived," he started, looking towards Yakumo, "What was it that you wanted to show us?"

Yakumo nodded, then began walking towards the group. "It's not really so much something to show as something to tell." his vision shifting to Kaneki, who was looking at him contently. "Earlier today, as I was walking through the ninth ward, making sure that Aogiri hadn't spread too close too the 20th ward, I happened by some bookstore in the area, the one closest too here, I forgot it's name-"

"I think I know what you're talking about..." Kaneki spoke, meaning the shop name.

"Yes, well, It had a sign out by the door saying: Friday from 18:00-21:00 (600-9:00), Sen Takatsuki book signing." Yakumo paused, "Sen Takatsuki... That's **her **pen name isn't it?"

Then there was silence, and while Kaneki was mainly focused on the fact that that girlfriend of his had a book signing this friday and he was no doubt going to confront her there, Banjou was more interested in the fact that Jason had actually seemed to care about the coffee shop. Kaneki really must have done something to him back all that time ago...

"I tried getting to my contact in Aogiri, about the signing, but he hasn't responded back, meaning that he's probably been captured. I'll have to do something about that..."

Irimi then spoke up, "Contact?" she asked stepping forward, "Who?"

"His name is Naki, he, and the rest of the white suits, as few in number as we are, are acting as my informants in Aogiri, and keeping me updated on any major changes." He then returned his eye's to Kaneki, who had since lowered his head slightly and frowned a bit. "What do you want to do?"

"Well," he began, now raising his head, "In my opinion, and I understand if any of you have any differing ones, I think I should go alone... I know Eto means alot too us all, but I think it'll feel less like an attack if only one of us goes... Unless... you want to..." He offered, looking over to Yoshimura.

Yoshimura smiled, standing now, "No, after all, I have a shop to run, I can't just abandon my workers for this, even if she is my daughter, especially when I can have someone just as capable tend to the matter for us..." he paused, "You'll do fine."

That last part rung in Kaneki's ears. He knew that Yoshimura didn't mean anything but the obvious with that, but he couldn't help but feel like there was a double meaning behind that.

* * *

**Friday**

Eto found herself at this small little bookstore in the ninth ward, forcing a smile to each fan that came up to her, even though she bared nothing against them. Still, though, the part of her that didn't feel irritated that she was being forced to do this against her will, which was a very small part, had to marvel at the turnabout that had show up, lining up outside the door, and seemingly to the end of the street.

But, now it was nearing 8:30, an time was almost up, so she was happy. happy that Kaneki or anyone she knew had **not **shown up. But, at the same time, she was sad. Of course she wanted to protect them, and was happy that they weren't coming, but she'd love to see Kaneki's smiling baby face again. She smiled to herself at that thought, but it also made her mad. Mad at herself for, more than likely being the cause of what he may be going through...

But she had hope, after all Kaneki was strong, he could handle alot. But, God, did she hate herself so much, even though Aogiri was to blame, for not leaving any kind of message for Kaneki, but still, she couldn't even if they let her, because he'd come for her and she couldn't let that happen. So she'd have to avoid all contact with him, when at all possible. Even though that thought almost made her physically sick to her stomach, and made her want to vomit. But, she'd been having to do that a lot recently.

Of course, though, through her adoring fans, rumor had spread of a lover. Kaneki, of course, and she'd been asked every now and again about him. And when she was she would casually change the subject to the book the reader had brought. Luckily, though, being as late as it was, the line was coming to an end, and then she could get back to Okinawa and keep away from endangering Anteiku.

* * *

Finally, she was down to the last ten, number ten, coming soon, and she was starting to become sleepy- eye'd. That made her laugh, _The sleepy- eye'd Owl. Hah. _When a rather familiar copy of "The Hanged Man's McGuffin" laid itself gently on the table.

Without looking up, she picked up the pen that laid next to her. "Ahhh, a personal favorite of mine... Who should I make it out too?"

"Kaneki Ken."


	21. You should just forget about me

Eto's ears were burning now, and she could feel her heart beating rapidly in her chest. Kaneki had just shown up with her own copy of "The Hanged Mans McGuffin" and had asked her to sign it. Even worse, he acted like any other fan would, asking questions about the story, like he was trying to aggravate her. Not that she minded **him**, but, even though they tried to come in incognito, she could point out Aogiri's watchmen.

If they saw her talking to Kaneki then the entire shop could be endanger.

God she wished she could tell him what was going on, why she had to leave, that she missed kissing him. However, she needed him to get out of sight quickly. Luckily, though, the questions he had asked were short, and simple and when answered, he left. As if he had just finished talking to a stranger in a kind way. That made her nervous however, for some reason reality seemed broken after he left... She hated that.

But, there was more too it than just watchmen holding here tongue... She couldn't let him know, for the risk of his coming after her and trying to fight Aogiri... That was a battle that he couldn't win.

* * *

Now, the book signing, thankfully, was concluded, but still she had to wonder, did Aogiri's guards catch onto Kaneki's presence? Did they know? Was that nurse already on her way to CCG headquarters? God she hoped not. Then, almost making her jump as she stood from her chair, becoming painfully aware of her sore legs and bottom, the phone in her pocket vibrated a single time.

Now, she was sweating, the only texts she received now, apart from the week following her disappearance when her phone was bombarded with texts from her loved ones; Kaneki, Touka, Hinami, etc. were the ones from that Tatara guy, who she, in an act of what little defiance she could show, had dubbed "asshole" in her phone contacts. These texts were usually instructions, but sometimes they were warnings... She was just hoping this text wouldn't say that they saw her with Kaneki. So much so that she didn't want to look at it, but she had to, just in case it was instructions.

Taking the phone out of her pocket and turning it over in her hand she read:

_**Meet at Tokyo Bay.**_

The captive author let out a sigh of relief and almost dropped on her butt, thankfully there was no mention of Kaneki nor the shop, so they were safe for now. But, she couldn't stay at the bookstore for long, just in case Kaneki came back, she had to leave.

Eto hurried out of the door, which almost swung off it's hinges sue to her strength. She had been breaking lot's of things lately, doors in particular, mostly due to rage, other times something else, some deep rooted hatred for her inability to do anything about her current situation. Mostly, though, it was to make Tatara's day a little harder. For whatever reason the guy was a serious freak about the smallest little dents, and while not verbally expressed, nor physically, she could tell he was infuriated by it.

Turning now, however, she saw exactly what, or who, rather, she didn't want to see. Standing there, with a thin lipped smile at the edge of the building, white hair contrast against the now purple sky, was Kaneki, waiting for her as if she'd told him to.

Eto stopped cold, almost letting a small squeak escape her lips. It's not that his sudden appearance scared her, but more that he was still there. Her legs felt numb and she suddenly felt as if she were tired, her body feeling heavy. It reminded her of the time when she had left Anteiku a while ago. She knew the feeling because it had seemed whenever there was a severe change in her life; Leaving after finding her mothers diary, Coming home, and leaving once more(though for an entirely less selfish reason) she felt this way... And her life wasn't going to change for the better.

"Oh..." she spoke, walking towards him, "You're still here?"

"Yeah... I mean, I have some questions... as you'd imagine."

Eto continued her walking towards him, on her way coming to terms with what she would have to do... But God did she not want to... "Alright," she agreed, making herself sound smug, adding in a tiny bit of an insanity to her voice. "I'll talk..." Then she gripped him by the arm, pulling him into the alleyway between the bookstore and a convenience store, making it seem gentle, but in reality, it was a hard grip.

Then, when the author was sure that they were safe from prying eye's she tossed him against a wall, denting the brick. Clearly, Kaneki hadn't expected that... or maybe he had, he just didn't want to believe she would do it... But, that was at the back of Eto's mind at the present currently she was thinking one thing, aimed at Kaneki... _I'm going to make you hate me... I don't want to... but if I don't you'll end up dead._

She then picked Kaneki up by the collar of her shirt and pressed him up against the wall. "I can guess your questions..." she teased, holding back that tearful choke in her voice. "Why did I leave..?" she mocked him, "Because I was growing bored." She then punched him in the stomach, forcing blood up through his mouth and over her shoulder.

"Now then, I assume the second one is 'where did I run off to?'" She spoke, pressing herself closer to Kaneki's ear. "Well, isn't it obvious Kaneki? I wen't to Aogiri..."

Now, she through Kaneki down into the puddle of his own coughed up blood, making a small splash, followed by her pressing hard onto his chest cavity with her foot, making it hard to breath. "And finally, the last question; 'why?'" She paused, throwing on a smile, "Well, Kaneki, if you haven't figured it out now, then I don't know whether I should feel insulted or complimented, but either way I'm a little disappointed... I mean, I guess I gave your intelligence a little too much credit... All that lovey-dovey acting was horrible... I tricked you **and **my dad in the end though, didn't I?"

"And, yes, of course I'm the leader of Aogiri... So, go ahead and try to kill me if you like... but you'll just die in the end... Just remember, I can kill you anytime I want and I won't think twice about it."

With that, ingrained into Kaneki's mind, she dusted off her clothes and left, not looking back, but holding back a few tears that threatened to run down her cheek, disappearing into the crowd. _Sorry..._

* * *

Kaneki simply laid there after the beating that Eto unleashed upon him. He was surprised that he'd felt it really, he supposed he'd forgotten just how hard Eto could punch. Still though, that was much harder than she'd **ever **punched him and boy did it hurt like shit. He may have had a few broken bones here and there, but even if he did, now they were most likely healing as the tiny puddle of blood that had just minuets ago soaked into his shirt.

He could feel heavy bruises onto his stomach and chest, he didn't need to look at them to know that they were probably completely black... But those would heal as well. His ears were also ringing, probably from the impact of the brick wall that his head smacked against when Eto had tossed him, but he could swear that he could hear a familiar voice calling out to him.

"Kaneki... Oh shit, are you O.K!?" He could guess who would speak that liberally out in public like that.

* * *

It was dark now, very dark, and Touka found herself walking in the ninth ward of Tokyo, making extra sure to wear a thick overcoat, that to be honest a girl her age would need this late at night. After all it wouldn't be the first time someone had tried to feel Touka up because she was wearing, normally she would kill the person then and there but she couldn't do that on the sidewalk, so she took to wearing heavy clothing to hide her figure.

Anyways, to why she was in the ninth ward, if it wasn't already obvious, was to look for Kaneki(and hopefully Eto). The half-ghoul said he would be gone from 18:00-21:00, but now it was 23:05, and he hadn't so much had tried to call anyone. Of course Kaneki had never used his phone much, which was pretty damn surprising because normally anyone his age, or hers for that matter, would be glued to their iPhone, or android, or galaxy, or whatever you may have, and at times she was guilty of that. But still, you'd think that meeting Eto after she'd left would motivate him to tell call someone as to what happened, or what was happening.

Now, the slightly rushed pace she was keeping had become to slow to a slight movement of the feet as Touka came to the bookstore that Eto was having her signing at. Through the windows she could see where the employee's were moving away blinders that they would place Eto behind and the posters of her books and what not... But no sign of the author herself.

Touka frowned, beginning to scan the way window view of the bookstore slowly, looking for Kaneki or Eto. Suddenly, her heart began to beat rapidly, she was begging to get worried, had something happened to Kaneki? Had Eto done something to him? She was begging to sweat, not just because of her fear that Kaneki was hurt but also that her sister-figure was capable of something like that... All her life Eto had been kind, friendly, and warm... but she was also strong as all hell and that scared Touka.

Then, she stopped in her tracks, an action caused by the sudden wafting on a familiar smell into her sensitive nostrils. It smelt of the sweet, almost intoxicating scent of human blood that Touka had been drawn to all her life, but there was something else, the familiar smell of old books, the way Kaneki smelt... Eto then rushed to the source of that smell, not really sure if she wanted to see whatever was there.

When she got there, and there was at the back of the alley, making it dark and hard to see, she saw a familiar white-haired boy, laying in a puddle of blood, with some of said blood trickling from the edge of his mouth and down his cheek in an almost caressing manner, and his eye's gazing at the night sky, like he was trying to find the stars that were hidden by the lights of the city.

"Kaneki... Oh shit, are you O.K!?"

* * *

Naturally, after finding Kaneki the way he was, Touka took Kaneki back to Anteiku, practically carrying him bridal style with quite the red face mind you, where she took him upstairs to find Itori waiting with a drink in her hand and her legs folded one over the other.

"Hey there, Kanekichi!" she called, waving her free hand, but still managing to almost spill her drink. Touka still didn't know how she could stomach the beverage, sure it had the same effect, besides taste, on ghouls and humans, but how was she not throwing up? But then, Itori wasn't exactly your average person, ghoul, whatever, so Touka didn't let it bother her too much.

"Oh, you don't look so good. What happe-" she paused, frowning, "Never mind, I can kind of smell what happened..."

"Yeah..." Touka answered, sitting him on the couch carefully, "I'm going to go clean up downstairs and then I'll make some coffee..." The teen said as she turned and exited the room.

Itori waited to make sure Touka was safely out of ear shot before standing up and setting her drink down, something she rarely did. Though, in those rare occasions, the reason was never something she did not deem important... and this was very important.

Plopping herself down on the couch next to the white-haired boy she wrapped a thin, but strong arm around over his shoulder and pulled him closer to her in a comforting way, unintentionally, or maybe not so unintentionally, moving him closer to her cleavage. Then she began patting his head in a soothing, but still drunken, manner.

"Poor Kanekichi," she said softly, but still loudly enough for him to hear. "You really got hurt out there didn't you? Physically and emotionally, huh?"

"...eki." The boy murmured, lowly.

"Hmmm, what is it, Kanekichi?"

"My name is Kaneki, Ken Kaneki." He replied, this time louder.

Itori was silent for a few moments, looking at him with wide surprised eye's, but soon she began laughing a loud laugh, apparently something was so funny to her that she almost fell off the couch. "I know that, Kanekichi! I just like calling you Kanekichi more! has a better ring to it." Then she was silent again, smiling into her drink, a red sheen on her face. "But, yeah, I know how that feels..."

"What feels?"

"Getting hit by Eto... for such a small girl she's really strong." Itori smiled, twirling her glass, "But, what do you expect from the-" she looked at the door in mock worry, then whispered in Kaneki's ear, "you know what..."

"You and Eto fough each other before?" Kaneki inquired.

"Well, more like she beat me up until I didn't want to be hit anymore, but yeah, we did."

"Why?"

Itori then sighed, pulling Kaneki even closer, "Naive little, Kanekichi, you have a lot to learn about women... There are many ways that Ghoul women and human women are alike, including the fact that they all hate each other at first."

"I see..." Kaneki scoffed. "So, when did you and Eto meet..."

"Well, for me to tell you that I have a question for you, ladies man." she teased, leaving Kaneki to wonder if she could somehow tell that he and Eto had intercourse, "Do you like stories? Never mind, that was a stupid question, of course you do."

* * *

**10 years ago**

Itori found herself, for the umpteenth time in a while, wandering from her arguing parents home and looking for food elsewhere. Itori never understood why, why exactly her parents couldn't just have fun every now and again, instead of arguing all the time. Actually, she did know, **she **was why. At least that was what her mother told her, she would tell her that her life was everything a ghoul could hope for. She would go out, eat unsuspecting humans, get laid, fall asleep, go to work, and then repeat it all again. But then Itori had to come along and ruin everything.

The orange haired girl didn't really care about her mothers spiteful words though, she learned to tune her out. Which of course caused her mother to throw a fit, but hey, if she didn't care about her, then Itori didn't care about her dumb whore of a mother, it's not like she does anything to help her father anyways.

In fact, Itori felt that if her mother would just leave then she and her father could live happily. But her fathers one flaw was that he was a bleeding heart, even if she offered, he wouldn't let her go, he felt responsible for her, meaning nothing would change. In the end though, at least she still had Uta and Yomo, right?

Then, Itori began sniffing the air, hoping to catch the scent of an already bleeding human. Maybe if she was lucky she could find a pedophile, that would make it easy to lul him into a false sense of power that she could capitalize on, and she'd be getting rid of a rotten old bastard as well...

However this time she may have been more than lucky, from what she could smell there was a **dead **human nearby, you don't get that lucky that often, and the orange haired girl wasn't going to pass this by.

It had taken a bit of time, but Itori had found what she was looking for... However, there was only one problem, someone else was already there. She had green hair than ran down her back and similarly colored eye's, one of which was a flaming Kakugan as she bit down and tore at the meat. She look to be about the same size as Itori, but she seemed... dirty, her dress was covered in dirt and her face was no different, she must've been homeless.

Itori frowned, it wasn't fucking fair, a homeless ghoul is pretty much the most dangerous type of ghoul there is, what chance did she have at getting a bite, now?

"I know you're there, you know..." the green haired girl spoke.

_shit..._

"I'm not giving you **my **food." she said, rather snobbishly, "I killed him, he's mine."

Itori stepped in to the out of her hiding place, trying to look sad and tired... Homeless, like the girl in front of her. "Please?" she asked, faking starvation, "I haven't eaten in days..."

"Go away." The girl replied bored, "You don't **look **like you haven't eaten in days..."

Itori frowned, dropping her act, "You know, sharing is caring..."

"Yeah, well I don't really care about you."

"Come on..." Itori now complained, stomping a single foot, "He's soooo big though, can't I get a hand or something?"

"No! Go away!" The girl screamed, clearly getting annoyed now.

"You know, I hate stingy little bitches like you." Itori spat, "Ohhh, look at me, I'm soooo Emo, I have my hair over my eye's and I yell and try to be scary I must be-"

Suddenly, Itori felt a fist on her jaw, sending her flying back. All she had time to realize during the time she was airborne was that whoever this girl was, she was strong, stronger than her father, or anyone she's met so far, probably even more than Yomo or Uta, both of whom could kick her ass up and down the city if they wanted to. Of course it wasn't quite fair to compare by just one punch... but god damn was it a punch.

When she landed she found the girl on top of her, with a scowl on her face. "Listen here, you little brat. If I wanted to I could kill you at anytime that I want to, so you better watch your fucking mouth..."

* * *

"You know, I thought Eto was going to kill me at that time and I was scared... And I still wonder what stopped her, but something she said stuck with me for some time after that... When she said 'If I wanted to I could kill you' meaning that if she wanted me dead, I would be dead..."

Then there was silence as Itori recalled more fond memories...

"Hey, Kanekichi! Wanna heat about the time that Eto and I 'experimented', before I go home? I bet you'd like that huh, you perv."

Kaneki chuckled, "No, I'm fine..."

Itori almost looked at him surprised at that, there weren't many guys who would pass on even **hearing **something like that... But then, Kaneki had been through a lot in the past few hours, so she wouldn't give him a hard time.

"Ok then... I'm tired so... I'm gonna go home now..." and with that she left, almost bumping into Touka on her way out and apologizing quickly, taking her coffee in her other free hand and exiting. Leaving Touka and Kaneki as the last two in the coffee shop.

Touka walked over to Kaneki now, holding two cups of hot coffee on a tray, hoping that the smell was somewhat soothing. "I'm back..." she grunted out, leaning over to set down the tray on the coffee table with a tiny clanking sound.

Touka then looked up towards Kaneki and studied his face, there was something different about him now, she couldn't quite name it, but it felt like a good change. Nevertheless though, Touka found it necessary to ask him about it.

"Hey, what's wrong?" She asked, trying to be sympathetic, despite the fact that it seemed to be a happy thing.

Kaneki had formed a thin-lipped smile now, it had seemed, that those words that had bothered him, the questions he had about them had been answered. It was thanks to Itori's story, about when she had met Eto for the first time, that he'd found them.

"Nothing." He replied, keeping that smile on his face. "Actually, I feel a lot better..." he paused, "In fact I think I've figured out what's going on."

"Really?" Touka asked, "How?"

"Well, after Eto had finished tossing me around, she had told me that she was the leader of Aogiri."

"What?" Touka almost yelled, nearly jumping out of her seat. The teenager felt betrayed, angry, and sad at the same time, but most of all she felt like she was dreaming, because this could never happen right? Eto could never be someone like that, right?

"However," Kaneki began gaining her attention, "She told me that she could kill me anytime she wanted to... Get it?"

Touka didn't answer, she simply stared at him confused.

"If she wanted any of us gone or dead she could make it happen, meaning, and this is just what I'm guessing, that Aogiri is forcing her to do this. I think she's trying to protect us from them... or something else..."

Touka was calming down now, though she still felt scared that Eto was in the hands of a group like Aogiri. "So, what do we do?" she asked, looking at him with her mind set on getting Eto back. "Well, I figure tommorow we can tell everyone and then I'll put together a group and go after Aogiri. I'm going to get her back."

Touka couldn't help but smile then. It made her feel a lightness in her chest and she began to smile and then, almost subconsciously, she leaned in, ready to meet Kaneki's lips. However, as she neared the half-ghoul, she felt a soft, but strong hand hold against the lower half of her face, halting her advance.

Touka then opened her eye's to see a slightly surprised Kaneki starring at her and finding her mouth at his hand. She then pulled back, face red with embaressment. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't- I was just so elated that I felt like I-" She stuttered, exiting the room fumbling with the handle, then with a nervous laugh she opened the door and left, saying "I-I'll see you tomorrow."

* * *

Eto supposed she was lucky, lucky that Tatara aloud her to take a visit to Anteiku this night, with an escort of course, but still. Now, though she only felt sad, a little relieved but sad, as she stood on the top of a building overlooking the room that Kaneki now sat alone in, that Touka had just left. She didn't know what they were talking about, but she had seen what had happened.

No, she was not angry at all that Touka had tried to lock lips with Kaneki, she was probably trying to comfort him, of course she was relieved that it didn't happen, but she was mostly sad, sad that Kaneki was refusing to give up on her. It was a bittersweet feeling.

With that, the author sighed and turned, walking away from the building. _Stupid Kaneki, _she smiled, _you should just forget about me._

* * *

**Author's Note: 200 favorites. That is incredible, I'm so happy that so many people are enjoying the content I put out as often as I do. Thank you, All!**


	22. manger

"First-Class Investigator Kotarou Amon, I, Yoshitoki Washuu, director of the main office, hereby appoint you 'Top-Class Investigator."

_Aogiri Tree... The ghoul organization that had their stronghold in the 11th ward... It's been more than a few months since that battle. The CCG's special counter division successfully eliminated the 204 ghouls inside the 11th districts hide out. Everyone assumed the battle ended with our victory. But the true aim of Aogiri was Cochlea, the ghoul prison camp in the 23rd ward. The raid was carried out by, what we believe to be, one of the higher-ups in Aogiri's chain of command, not the one eye'd owl, but someone who proves to be troublesome... What's worse... They even managed to make it to the cells in the 3rd basement, where the SS- rated ghouls were kept. As a result of that, many SS-rated ghouls are roaming the streets of Tokyo, preying upon the unsuspecting humans of the city. Recently, however, Aogiri has been quiet, keeping their movements to a minimum. But, there's no doubt that their building up their war potential, right?_

_Maybe that's why I feel so angry sitting here at this after party than helping find them..._

"You find something about the binge eater?" The light, almost feminine voice lifted Amon from his mental recap of today's event's, finding himseld poking at his meal meal softly with his chop sticks. The newly appointed First-Class Investigator looked up, fixing his eye's on the light blonde, almost white haired, boy who was stuffing his face. The boy's name was Juuzou Suzuya, a rather young Investigator. He didn't need to go through the schooling system of the CCG nor did he really need any training. He was under Investigator Shinohara's command. He'd heard many rumors about the boy, that he was raised by a ghoul, that he didn't feel pain, nothing really actually, he doesn't have any emotional attachment.

For Kotarou, watching the boy get promoted to 2nd class investigator, he had to wonder if that's how was for his own mentor, Kureo Mado, and Investigator Shinohara watching Arima get promoted so young. He wondered if they got that feeling of... anxiety... that he got.

"Oh, no, nothing , not yet. The binge eaters been rather quiet lately." Amon, replied, being careful not to take to long to answer. "I wonder if they've moved on..."

"Mmmm..." Suzuya acknowledged, swallowing his ramen, "Hey, you know, lately there have been a lot of people visiting the library recently..."

Amon furrowed his brow at that, "The library..?" By the 'Library' Suzuya meant the archives, it was just more commonly known as a Library. In the archives there were old newspaper clippings, most of which were pretaining to old cases, which were already solved, or dropped... it wasn't to rare of an occasion that ghouls got rid of one another, ending many investigations... Amon knew why they were going there, though... The reemergence of the One Eye'd Owl was prompting many younger, and some older, investigators to study up on the legendary ghoul... Amon should probably be doing that himself...

"Yeah..." Suzuya shruggged, "I went there and was told to 'please be quiet', I think Shinohara warned them about me... he tells me that alot..."

"Koutarou. Juuzou." A deep, gruff voice called from behind them prompting the two recently promoted Investigators to turn their attention over to it.

"Speak of the devil..." Juuzou commented slurping the last of his food up. Before them was Shinohara, who, considering the last time he saw the man, looked fairly well. When the One-Eye'd Owl had appeared, the forces of the CCG were told to fall back, well, anyone who wasn't rated high enough to contend with the Owl... because in the end they would only get in the way and lead to more casualties than necessary. Shinohara had ended up being forced to use a prototype quinque, along with another superior, Iwata, in order to fend off the Owl... But end the end, because the prototype was made from a ghoul and it required to feed from it's wearer to last, Shinohara sustained heavy injury... Whats more... The Owl seemed to have simply gotten bored and left.

"You seem to be out of that plaster." Kotarou commented, happily.

Shinohara chuckled, "Yeah, I managed to make it out. The first month I had to have someone help me piss, preferably one of the pretty nurses, but I wasn't always so lucky..." He paused and looked around, "I heard Iwacho got out after only two weeks... But I guess it makes sense he's not at the dinner, he really only shows up as long as necessary, in fact he decided that he didn't want to walk the stage for promotion when he was younger..."

"Anyways though, You've finally become a top-class investigator, haven't you? I'm sure Mado would be proud."

Koutarou smiled at that, Kureo Mado, his superior, had, over-time, become something of a father figure to the newly appointed FIrst-Class Investigator... So any praise was always met warmly.

"Thank you... I think I'll pay him a visit on the way home."

"Yes, that would be appropriate." Shinohara paused"Ah yes! Taht's right! You've been alone this whole time, right? Without a partner? Well we found you one for the time being... starting next week..."

Amon couldn't help but notice though, that Shinohara seemed to become increasingly annoyed as he spoke, like something was coming to light for him. "Uhhh Is something wrong sir?"

"No... No... I just feel it fits nicely with your promotion, that's all... I'll introduce you two next time."

Shinohara then looked over to Juuzou and began to speak. "Ahh, Juuzou, I'm sorry about the fact that you still don't have a quinque... We'll get you something eventually..."

Juuzou slumped over at that... "I would have had one if that guy in the white cloak didn't carry the big gut off so fast..."

* * *

"Progress Report! Binge eater went missing and the gourmet is probably still alive. Rabbit seems to yield some sort of connection with the Eyepatch ghoul... The investigation is still on going..." Amon then paused, standing at Kureo's grave, feeling something caught in his throat... Kind of like he didn't have the courage to tell him what he was going to tell him... "And..." a deep breath, "As of today I am a First-class investigator..." Then there was silence, like he was waiting for Kureo to appear and congratulate him.

"Do you have business with my father? Koutarou Amon?"

Koutarou turned, slightly shaken at the sudden question, but more importantly a single word. "Father?" He repeated.

"Nice to meet you, First-class Amon, My name Is Akira Mado... I'll be your new partner."

* * *

Touka had been feeling light headed all day, in fact she had considered not even bothering to get out of bed in the morning, but never the less she did, and now she had found herself in the shower, hoping to rinse that thick, translucent layer of exhaustion that rested on her body. However, it wasn't like the cause of her sudden lightheaded feeling was elusive to her, she knew exactly why.

Last night, she didn't know why she had tried to lock lips with Kaneki, in fact she was hoping that the warm caressing water would help her figure that out. Maybe it was because he had reassured her about Eto's stance in all this buisiness, maybe it was because she felt bad for him... Maybe she was trying to itch that feeling she had when she saw him and Eto together... But that thought chilled her body almost to the bone. Good God, how much she hated the idea that she would try to get close to Kaneki, in anyway but friendly, while she was gone... It made her want to throw up.

She also hoped that Kaneki wasn't going to start acting differently around her, there is nothing that would make her feel worse than she did now if he shifted his personality because of the awkwardness that resided between them now... Worse than that, what if he just started to ignore her..? She didn't know why, but that made her want to fall on her ass. But, it wouldn't have been the first time someone she cared about left her, was it?

Suddenly there was a knock at the door, making Touka throw her head up quickly. "Big sister, are you okay in there?" A small, slightly muffled, voice called for her through the door.

"I'm fine." Touka reassured, "Why?"

"I'm just making sure... You've been in there for almost two hours..."

* * *

Like Kaneki had told Touka, they had come back to Anteiku today. Like she said, she was worried about his personality towards her, what it would be. That's why she had gone to bed early than normal last night, to avoid any awkward conversation with Kaneki. However, to her surprise, he acted as if... as if last night hadn't happened, like he didn't remember it... Now he wasn't especially chatty, but then he never was, and he didn't flinch when she spoke to him. But, maybe that worried her more...

However, that said, maybe that was the least of his worries at the moment, after all that wasn't the reason why they were here. The little shop had waited until everyone had arrived, Itori, Uta, Yomo, anyone who wasn't in yet before Kaneki told the shop what he believed to be Eto's current situation, gathered by verbal clues(which weren't really clues so much as a little quirk, Touka supposed).

The waitress had kept her eye on Yoshimura the whole time... well... his hands... The old man had a quirk of his own that she had noticed over the years. When given information of a certain kind, his hands would twitch, ever so slightly, but they would twitch... and twitch they did. Touka felt sorry for the old man... he must've been feeling what she had felt when she heard of what Ayato was doing in the 24th ward... and when she found out that he was in Aogiri.

In fact, ever since last night, she had this hope... hope or delusion... that maybe, just maybe Ayato was in Aogiri for a similar reason that they thought Eto to be, was it to protect her? But then... it was probably just a delusion...

"I see..." Spoke the manager, standing up. "I can only hope your deduction of the situation is true... But even if it is, Ken, how would you get her back... And, whatever she's protecting us from, are you sure that it's best you prevent her from doing so?"

Kaneki kept his eye's on him, he could tell how hard it was for the man, to give the option of separating himself from his daughter, but he was just thinking of everyone elses sake.

"Yeah, I've thought of that as well... But, the underground tunnel system, if whatever she is trying to protect us from is really that dangerous, we could use that to get away right?" Kaneki offered, almost hopefully to the man.

"mmm..." He replied nodding.

"And... as for how I can get her back..." He then looked over to Yamori, who was looking on rather boredly at the conversation, "Back when you had me chained up in the 11th ward... You mentioned to me that Kaneki was still conducting his experiments... Also that Aogiri was still looking for him..."

Yakumo nodded. "I see... You think finding Kano would help in finding Eto... It could work, after all, They hadn't found him when I decided to leave, but how would you do that?" He asked, folding his arms over his chest.

"There was a nurse at Kanou general hospital that assisted him in the procedure of turning me into a half ghoul, she has to be in on it... But if she is, how could I find a way to get her to tell me?" Kaneki explained, all the while creating a new problem.

"I could help with that..." Yamori spoke up, referencing what Kaneki had experienced first hand.

"**No.**" Kaneki replied, sternly.

"Then perhaps I can." Said a rather flamboyant voice as the break room door opened. The owner of said voice was hardly a mystery, Shuu Tsukiyama was said owner. The real stranger, however, was the small girl next to him, who's head reached just above his waist, with a big, black camera hanging from her neck which swung slightly as she walked in, a surprisingly happy expression on her face, which was framed by light brown hair that matched her eye's. Strange... considering the fact that she was a human in a room of ghouls.

Touka frowned at the sudden intrusion, mostly at the fact that he had seemed to be waiting there and hoping for the right line of dialogue to make his presence known. "What do you want, Shittyama? Better yet how did you get in here even?"

The colorful man simply chuckled at that, wiping a stray strand of purple hair from his face, "You people sure seem to have trouble locking the door."

"Whatever..." Touka replied, red in anger and embarrassment, mostly because it had been her job to close the door.

"Anyways, I may know someone who has ties to this 'Kanou' doctor." The gourmet began speaking as he closed his eye's and placed a finger to his nose."There's a rumor that she has had her 'scrapers' augmented to, while not be ghouls, be as strong, or stronger than ghouls... She also happens to be a member of a rather exclusive ghoul club... I can get you in there, Kaneki... but the members are veeeery cautious around new comers, after all there have been certain times in which the doves have bargained a ghoul his life in order to infiltrate certain clubs."

"What are you saying?" Touka asked, rather irritated at the man now, being so goddamn cryptic like some poet, screw him.

"What I'm saying is, dear Touka, that Kaneki will have to appear as a dish..."

"A dish!?" Nishiki replied back, well screamed rather, "How stupid do you think we are?! We all know, even me, that all you wanted to do is eat Eto and Kaneki!"

Tsukiyama began laughing hard at that, even going so far as to throw his head back. "True, True." he sighed, "I did, and I still do, but I wouldn't dare try it with all the... 'muscle' you currently have at your little coffee shop..." Explained the well-off ghoul his pupils jumping from Yakumo to Yomo. "Besides, I can finally get rid of some anoying members in all the commotion at the restaurant... **if **you agree to my plan."

"How did you know about Eto anyway, Shuu?" Touka asked now, "About any of this really?"

Shuu then pushed forward the young girl that was at his side forward, her still smiling, pulling up the camera. "She found out about it." He somewhat praised in his voice. "Her name is Chie Hori and despite her humanity she is quite the reliable informant. She has one of those crowd faces that you see all the time, you know, so people tend to ignore her. She saw what happened at the book sighing and followed you back to Anteiku where she recored what you were saying... how you didn't see her was beyond me..."

"Damn..." Touka muttered, looking away. "How can we trust her? She could report us to the CCG." Touka then spoke, giving another possibility.

"Oh, I don't care about whether ghouls live or die." she spoke rather happily, "Actually, let me rephrase that, I don't care about the hunting of ghouls, I just like to take pictures of them hunting their prey... I find them so fascinating when they do, especially the softer ones, how they cry as they do it... It really puts the term 'Human' in perspective for me."

"When would we do it then?" Kaneki asked now, staring at Tsukiyama.

"Why, whenever you please, Ken."

* * *

**2 day's later, 20:30.**

As the two walked the brick hallways of the ghoul restaurant, making muffled footsteps that bounced off the walls, alerting anyone who may be in there to their presence. Touka had been adamant about Kaneki **not **going along with Tsukiyama's plan reminding him that Tsukiyama had tried to eat Eto once before. Of course Kaneki hadn't necessarily been wronged by him... **yet**... but honestly, lately, he wasn't in the most trusting way.

"Now then, Ken." Tsukiyama spoke as the two walked, "Before we part ways why don't I give you a piece of advice, hmm?"

"Sure..." Kaneki replied, focusing on the impressive architecture of the building. It was very western in design, reminding him of the stereotypical representation of a mid-evil European castle despite it's rather modern outer shell. Lining the hallway's were clothed, wooden tables, baring candles and fruits(clearly meant for atmosphere only). The walls would, every few steps, bear a painting of what Kaneki guessed to be somewhat of ghoul royalty and it was evident that this club was not reserved for ghouls from Tokyo or even japan. There where many Caucasian pictures up there, Spanish, Arabic, etc. It was interesting, to Kaneki. It seemed that, even during conflicts between nations, that ghouls, in the end, always stuck together, one way or another, because clearly these were at different times in history, and alot of that history was filled with war.

"Don't drink the coffee..." Said the colorful ghoul, as the pair arrived at a brown, shiny, wooden door. "Pretty soon you'll be taken to the waiting room, in there you could meet some rather interesting individuals... or the scum of society, whatever may be in there... have fun... and remember the plan.

The plan. The plan was that, when the main event began, to not reveal his nature as a half-ghoul to anyone, he would wait until Tsukiyama had found this "Madam A" woman, to make sure she had come today and figure out where she was. and when found, the purple haired ghoul would signal him, and then Kaneki could hunt her down. On top of that, Yakumo and Banjou were waiting outside, in case the madam would flee, the two... well Yakumo... would capture her.

Releasing a breath, feeling Tsukiyama leave his side, Kaneki then knocked on the door and was greeted by a woman in a maids outfit, wearing an eerie stone like mask.

"Oh are you a guest?" She asked, apathetically, but somewhat curious, "I wasn't told we would have a third guest tonight... It must have been last minute... please come in."

* * *

Once Kaneki had been bathed, dried, and re-clothed, into a suit, he found himself sitting in a cylindrical room along with two others, a man and a woman... The woman being very high society, adorned in red with many rings on her bony, long nailed, fingers, her hair short and puffed up and a smug look that emphasized her feeling of superiority over everyone else. Next was a very large man, who seemed almost too big to move around, who was seemingly going to bust out of his own clothing.

The maid looking woman, who hadn't spoken to him since he had shown up at the door, had just left, pushing an empty trey. A tray that held three cups of coffee, the coffee that Shuu told Kaneki not to drink. As he looked into his reflection in the cup of coffee, watching the brown liquid, it being the only thing besides water that he could drink, twitch at the slightest vibration of his hand. Of course being a ghoul and seeing how rarely they actually get an opportunity like this, his body was begging him to gulp it down, but he knew better.

The two other, however, did not. The bigger man, rather quickly, was busy swallowing the thing in one gulp, letting it rush down his throat. Kaneki had figured it wasn't poison... why would a ghoul poison his own meal? Spealing of which, Kaneki didn't like it, but he would have to let whatever would happen to these two happen, lest he blow his cover as a half ghoul.

The woman, not bothering to look at either one of the two, simply sipped on it lightly, making herself look as elegant as possible. Kaneki almost chuckled at her, but he didn't want to be rude, especially not since she could quite possibly lose her life very soon. It was funny because, due to his interest in books and media that involve telling a story, he saw her as the stereotype of the older woman that would bring home a younger man, promising him money and what not, a cougar. The stereotype itself wasn't particularly **supposed **to be funny, but it always made him chuckle...

Suddenly the floor shifted, making the portly man jump a bit and the woman stumble somewhat, despite her being on a chair. Then, the floor began to rise and the ceiling began to part, leaving a blinding white hole in the ceiling. A hole that fir perfectly with the round floor.

As they rose into the light, Kaneki found himself squinting, struggling to see something. Tables, chefs, waiters, anything. At first it was all white, but gradually, as his vision returned, they nature of the new room came to light. At his feet was tiled floor, which stretched from wall to wall, both of which where balconies that seated high class looking members of society. Men and women dressed as royalty, all wearing masks. _So there actually are ghouls..._

Now the light over the circle faded and the room became almost dark once more... Then a second light, appearing over a second balcony followed by a familiar voice. "Good evening ladies and gentlemen!" the voice of Shuu tsukiyama sang out as the gourmet himself walked into the light, his purple hair sticking out like a soar thumb. "This is tonight's dish! A fine variation of body types! For those enjoy the bone; the prestigous looking woman, who, due to age, has lost the meat from her bones! And for those of you who like the meat; A quite big man, who seems ripe with the... healthiest... organs. And finally, for those of you who like the best of both worlds; A body type without to much fat, but just enough to have that succulent taste along with a satisfying crunch!"

Kaneki could hear the gourmet almost salvating as he spoke.

"And so generously donated by Madam A, her favorite scrapper, Taro!"

Now a loud clank was heard, like the sound of a lock coming undone and the three on the checkered floor turned, looking at the sound. It reminded Kaneki of pictures of the roman Colosseum, like a wooden gate they kept lions behind when they would kill the early Christians. And slowly, very slowly, the door opened, revealing a man... who couldn't really be a man.

Yakumo was big, that was undeniable, but this man, this red hooded, leather strapped man, who held a cleaver the size of Kaneki's body was beyond that.

When he began walking towards them, the ground shaking every time he stepped, Kaneki noticed how carelessly he drug the tool behind him. It wasn't a lack of strength that caused it but rather... a childish stupor, like a toddler dragging a toy. And then, when the giant was only a few feet away he spoke. "Nice chu meetch you..." In a slurred, innocent voice.

* * *

**Geez, I'm so sorry this took so long to get out... But I've been busy with bloodborne recently and I just lost the time. Anyways there is my apology, thanks for all the support!**


	23. Tonight's Meal!

When he began walking towards them, the ground shaking every time he stepped, Kaneki noticed how carelessly he drug the tool behind him. It wasn't a lack of strength that caused it but rather... a childish stupor, like a toddler dragging a toy. And then, when the giant was only a few feet away he spoke. "Nice chu meetch you..." In a slurred, innocent voice.

It was funny, comparing what was actually behind the now opened giant doorway to what he had referenced. The lions and various other beasts that were put on display to kill or be killed, the giant, Taro, was more like a gladiator than anything. With that red, silk mask that covered his face, save for the two eye-holes which were lazily cut out, the leather straps that covered his broad chest, and the baggy pants that adorned his legs, he looked like a mid evil hero somewhat. However his mental capacities were severley lacking. Kaneki wondered if that was the drawback of whatever drug Kanou may or may not have administered in the process of transforming whoever Taro used to be into what he is now.

Suddenly, **quite **suddenly, taro brought his giant cleaver down. Tearing through, easily(which was testament to his strength), the muscle and bone of the portly man closest to him, ripping his arm off completely.

The recently severed arm, now spurting blood, fell with a sickening thud the floor, twitching slightly as the nerves reacted one last time before they died. The large man, had been completely silent the entire time, however looking on with wide eye's as Taro severed his arm. The man then swiveled his head, finding immediately the entire reason that he was here in the first place.

His eye's caught with a man, who was the stereotypical "hunk" in every sense of the word. The man was leaning slightly over the balcony, head resting on the palm of his hands and tilted slightly to the side. The "hunk" held a smug grin on his face which was complemented by the sadistic look in his eye's, despite them being half-lidded and blood red.

The portly man, the one who had lost his arm, then began speaking accusingly at the man. "You... You lied to me..." He said almost in disbelief. "You said you loved me... that you wanted me..."

The ghoul laughed at him then, picking himself up off the balcony edge, and using his arms to steady himself. "The only thing I lied about was being homosexual. I **do **want you. Just not... well... just not in **that **sense." He then licked his lips and smiled, salivating. "Maybe just take solace in the fact that you can finally be inside me, huh?"

The large man, was red now, surprising considering the amount of blood he was losing... even more surprising that he wasn't feeling it... or maybe he just didn't care. "You fucking... You fucking bastard!"

_At least he got one last say in._ Kaneki thought, just as the cleaver came down and tore through the neck fat, bone, then neck fat once more, lobbing his head off straight to the man he was telling at, who caught it with excellent precision and then admired it as if it were some sort of trophy. "Poor Poor Tamaishi..." he said more to himself than anyone, "I wonder how your wife and kids will react when you don't come home tonight." he paused. "But I do suppose you'd rather this than them find out you like dick, huh?"

Taro then sat, not bothering to even carefully rest himself, just letting himself drop like an anvil unto the floor. The genetically altered butcher then began to quickly, but precisely, dismember the rest of the mans corpse, tossing it to the crowd in various locations, granting cheers from them, and they began chanting his name, "Taro, Taro, Taro!" Spurring him on, encouraging him to kill more.

The older woman, was now completely red, being as close to the man as she was when his arm was lobbed off. She didn't scream when the blood covered her, she didn't throw up, she simply looked on in horror as the man was murdered. Kaneki couldn't blame her, it's not like he did anything different when Ryuko was murdered did he? Besides that she was old, she had grown up in a time when women were expected to do house work and be protected, clearly, clearly she didn't expect this, it was obvious she couldn't believe her eye's.

The woman then began to back away, shrinking with every step she took and eventually found herself behind Kaneki, who besides a slight gawking look on his face, remained unfazed by the whole ordeal.

Finally, when he was finished, Taro stood up, blood covering his bare chest, as well as drenching his cleaver. "He was Thick." Taro commented swinging the blade once, doing his best to remove the fresh blood. Then he looked straight at Kaneki, "I shuppose you're Necht."

The giant then began to examine his tool, looking at the handle. "Momma told me that this toy was special..." He explained to Kaneki, whether he was listening or not, "That this toy has some kind of special achtions." Then Taro found what he was looking for, it was a big, red dot on the handle . "Thish musch be it..." And with that he pressed it, and almost instantly, it began to change. The edge of the blade began to glow a familiar red and the blade became serrated into many parts. The red was a familiar glow, with many lines of luminescent light red in it that almost seemed alive. Of course it didn't take long for Kaneki to remember that glow, that pattern, the almost living pulsing glow. However she had managed it he didn't know, but it was apparent that Madam A got her hands on a quinque.

Then, violently, Taro swung his overly muscled arm and for a split second Kaneki wanted to laugh, he wanted to because Taro was quiet the distance away and looked like a spastic. He would have, but the blade was more than it appeared to be. Quickly, like a whip lined with blades that could cut ghoul flesh, the cleaver extended, covering the distance between the two in a swinging motion speed towards Kaneki.

Kaneki, in response, instead of expertly dodging the whip like he should have, purposely ducked, like a human would. He felt the air that the blade cut through rush past his hair, making it dance a small dance in the aftermath for just a second before the whip finally rested lazily on the floor. However it wasn't long before he felt that warm, rushing, familiar feeling wash over his back, feeling it become damp and hot.

Looking back Kaneki saw that the woman who had began cowering behind him had been sliced in half, her bottom half resting gently on the floor, and her top half holding that terrified expression as when the portly man had been killed. Then the crowd began cheering, delighted that their next meal had so quickly been prepared.

Taro, instead of going after the half-ghoul, then began to dismember the two halves of the woman, taking his time like a child would a toy or a puzzle. All the while Kaneki was deaf due to the chants of "TARO! TARO! TARO!" and "Toss that over here, Taro!" And for a second, Kaneki was hopeful, oddly enough. It was odd, to hear ghouls chanting for a human, as if he were some sort of athlete in whatever sporting event that they love... maybe Kaneki was just losing his mind. After all, while they were chanting for him, they where still chanting for the fact that he was slaughtering other humans.

Then he heard a rather distinct voice cheering. It wasn't familiar, but it was a distinct cheer, "That's my Taro!" it yelled, "Make Momma proud!"

Now, a light shown on her illuminating her as she stood triumphantly. Then, suddenly, Tsukiyama returned. "Madam A everyone! What a wonderful donation to the restaurant!" That, as Kaneki took it, was his cue.

The half ghoul then leaped towards Taro, planning to use the giants shoulders as a booster to get into the rafter. However, as he made contact with the skin a hand quickly wrapped around his ankle and slammed him into the tiled floor, breaking some of said tiles in the process.

Kaneki felt his breath leave his lungs completely, rocketing out of his mouth, along with some blood. Kaneki was in a sort of awe as he looked up at Taro, who had then retracted the blades back into a single form and had raised it over his head in a quick succession, ready to cut him through completely.

Quickly, Kaneki pushed himself out of the way, once again narrowly missing it's bite, and rolled to the right.

Tsukiyama tensed up when Kaneki was slammed to the ground. The gourmet wasn't wanting to save his life, quite the opposite actually, he just didn't want anyone else to do it. He wanted to taste Kaneki and he wanted to do it before they found Eto, if at all possible, because without her around, he had nothing to worry about in plotting to eat the Half-ghoul. However, he would be damned before he allowed anyone else to eat from Kaneki. He had to get this act done with and quick.

He looked to a young man to his far left and snapped, signaling the young man to commence the "plan B" that Tsukiyama had, on his own, devised. The young man's name name was Kanae von Rosewald, he was actually a German, rather than a Japanese. When he was younger, his family had been exterminated by the Germany's own version of the CCG, and he was sent here, where he would become a servant to Tsukiyama's own family.

Tsukiyama, after initiating his own plan, then began towards Madam A, while alerting Kaneki.

"Ken! You can deal with the scraper, I'll catch Madam A for you!" He informed, now sprinting between his fellow ghouls heading towards the target of tonights event. At the same time, unbeknownst to the know baffled, confused, and agitated crowd, Kanae and Matsume, Tsukiyama's caretaker when he was a child, where busy getting rid of the select people that Tsukiyama wanted gone, that part wasn't a lie.

* * *

**Ok, I know this chapter is REALLYYYYYY short, and I could add more to it to keep it longer, which I WANT to do, but I can't. For two reasons, actually. With school starting up monday (For myself at least) I have to get ready for that, get my shit together and prepare for the never ending migraine that is every and anything that relates to math. And second, I wan't to take a break for a little while, because, while I do enjoy it, this story has been ruling my life ever since I've started it. It has been a good ruling though, like a kind king, but the break is also for the benefit of the story, I do not want to get burn out on writing this story. I am bad about that, my writing suffers if I do it for to much at a time, which is partly why I don't release chapters more often than I do. Don't worry though, The break should be at most Two weeks and then I'll have a brand new, well written chapter for all of you. Until then.**


	24. Intimidation

Ken hadn't needed to be told twice that his attention should be subjected upon Taro. The moment that his body hit and broke the tiled floor, due to the giants strength, Kaneki had decided that he was to be taken down before Madam A could be subdued. Though, the scrapper made it clear that, that was going to be easier said than done.

Kaneki had to admit, Madam A must have trained the butcher well, he was standing there in front of the white haired-ghoul still as a statue, not even bothering to make the slightest unnecessary shake.

Taro himself wasn't necessarily an issue to the boy, though. He was strong sure, but Kaneki was confident that he could take him down with ease... But that quinque changed the game completely. Apart from being a weapon useful in both long range and short range combat, it could also slice Ken like he was water. He couldn't simply brute force it this time, he'd have to rely on his intellect. But, he'd also have to let Taro make the first move.

* * *

The gourmet smiled to himself in glee as he rushed past his fellow members, dizzying some and confusing the others, heading for Madam A. Tsukiyama was lucky Madam **A ** was the target tonight. The title "Madam" is more than just that, it is a rank of sorts, similar to a duke, or a king... no, not a king, A queen is a more accurate example. And, just like with queens, there is a limit to there is a power struggle among them.

But, through, all the years of quiet fighting for the right to be queen of the hill, a certain Madam remained at the top; **Big **Madam. She was said to, while not having the best, have the most dangerous scrappers in the restaurant... well, the older restaurant. Though, there was a certain boy, one of her scrappers that was quite popular among the members. He was scrawny, childish, and could be easily mistaken for a girl, but despite all of that, he was cheered... for his ability to put on a show whilst serving up the meat.

He would chase his prey down like a pack of wolves, taking in small, but vital hit's, slowing the meal down everytime until finally it would give into the pain and accept it's fate. The gourmet found it a pleasure to watch, the boy was clearly well-versed in the art of dismantling the human body and even more-so in taking it down. However, it was during one of the boy's nights that the restaurant was raided by the CCG. The old one that is...

Neither the boy, nor Big Madam made another appearance after that night, not at the restaurant at least. Every now and again Tsukiyama would see the giantess of a woman(some even think she is a man) at auctions, but only auctions that peaked her curiosity the most.

However, this was **not **Big Madam, this was Madam A, someone who had never truly experienced the horrors of starvation as many of these ghouls had, at least one point in their life. It was speculated that she didn't even have a Kagune(which was honestly more of a joke than anything else) That's why It annoyed Tsukiyama, when he restrained her, that she didn't even try to fight, nothing she merely screamed.

* * *

That scream was exactly what Kaneki needed. The sound of his "Mamma" crying out in fear overwrote his need to kill Kaneki and made him turn his attention towards Tsukiyama.

The ogre of a man, in a furious, maddened state, violently turned away from Kaneki, absent mindedely allowing his arms to swing freely. Then, he began to charge towards the rafter that Madam A was, being further enticed by her kicking and screaming in terror. "MAMMA!" he cried, as he let his overly bulked legs carry him across the room, towards his new priority.

Taro was not the only one restless at the moment however. The audience was, while not quite completely panicked, begging to realize the new danger in the air, and many were beginning to leave.

Taro broke into a full sprint now, screaming like a crazed man ready to fight to the death for his food... or a ghoul... The giant then smashed his finger unto the button that was situated to the bottom of the grip, once again turning the blade into many different ones and giving them the power to cut through ghoul flesh. Kaneki frowned, Taro's intentions weren't a secret, he intended to kill Tsukiyama in order to save Madam A.

_Damn._

Kaneki took of after him, not bothering to hide his abilities as a ghoul and, with full force, releasing his brilliant red Kagune out into the open. It was funny, Kaneki hadn't realized it but he hadn't used his Kagune since he last attacked Yakumo, so the feeling was almost foreign to him. It was heavy, awkward, almost uncooperative, not like when he had fought Jason. But then... when was the last time he had trained his body? He'd been neglecting that recently, if anything he'd gotten weaker than when he escaped Aogiri, at least some time before that he was working his body out. The only reason he survived that in hindsight was his own natural strength and adreneline, which was impressive, but if he let himself become to lazy he'd lose that too.

_Now's not the time to concern myself with that, I'm still able to cut through human flesh, that's the objective at the moment. _

But, Taro was already throwing the many roped together blades forward, bringing his arm forward as if he where throwing a pig skin, forcing the now elongated weapon into a wave like whiping motion that was heading to split Tsukiyama straight down the middle, as well as Madam A.

Tsukiyama didn't mind it however, instead of rushing to escape the sharp fangs that flew at his flesh, the gourmet simply sidestepped, twirling around with Madam A in his hands, a smirk on his face during the entire ordeal. But, Taro's attack was not without it's causalities.

Many ghouls had been killed when the whip stretched over them and came down up their heads, sending quinque steel into their brains.

Kaneki used this opportunity to take the beast down, quickly. He threw his Kagune forward, using his momentum as an extra amount of force in which to impale Taro. Who of which, in an attempt to turn to the smaller ghoul suffered exactly that, going through his rib cage and tearing through his lungs. It was almost heartbreaking to Kaneki, because, despite the scrappers attempt to save his master, and his death, the last words of any sort he heard from her was her berating of his performance.

Of course, now that Taro was dead, killed by his prey, whom of which till now was thought to be human, the ghouls of the restaurant had become wise to what was happening around them and had begun to panic. Of course... Taro murdering the ghouls that had been in front of Tsukiyama more than likely had some effect as well.

"He's a ghoul..?" One shouted from the disheveled crowd, baffled as he watched Kaneki's tentacles curl around his body in a motion similar to a snake. It wasn't as if Kaneki wasn't in control of them, he was doing that on purpose. The half-ghoul, through seeing other ghouls Kagune, had figured that they somewhat resembled, the rinkaku and bikaku at least, snakes. The way Nishiki wrapped his arm around his own leg when they first met, the way Rize's almost danced around her when she was chasing Kaneki down, that gave them the element of intimidation that was so key in battle. And it seemed to be working. Of course, even if they were not intimidated, they would all have to be rid of. These ghouls were wealthy, wealthy enough to put prices on Kaneki's and everyone he cared about's head.

"Taro's dead..." Another murmered as the crowd looked on in a mix of horror and what could possibly be hunger... after all Kaneki had opened up Taro pretty well. Then there was silence. A heacy tension had begun to suffocate the room as Kaneki, with a steely cold gaze looked about the restaurant. He could smell it, somewhere in the rafters, an awful stench, many actually, no doubt the others had smelt it as well... but they didn't seemed to be concerned with it at the moment. It was the smell of urine, he'd made someone, or rather a few people, soil themselves. He almost smiled, his intimidation had worked, but now it was time to get to his own main event... It wasn't something he wanted to do, but he couldn't help Eto if he was dead, could he?

The crowd then began rushing, in a mad, chaotic way, trampling over one another, more than likely lowering the amount of effort that Kaneki and Tsukiyama had to do, heading toward the exit's. However it was nothing if not futile.

* * *

The crowd ran hard, each of them looking after themselves. The more ambitious of the ghouls were tripping their comrades and peers hoping to get ahead. But get ahead to what? They didn't guess, they couldn't have guessed that the exits were just leading them to a less kind slaughter. Yakumo wasn't happy about it either, having to kill these people. It wasn't that he was squeamish about it, clearly not, but it was the side of himself that he did not wan't to let see the light of day again. However, to pay his dues to Kaneki, for what he had done to him and for rescuing him, he would have to let Yamori have his fun... at least one more time.

So he slipped that mask over his face, the modified hokey mask that he so gleefully wore not but a few months ago. The very same one that would haunt his dreams at night, when had to remember what he did to others, some of whom trusted him... And **her **face... even then he had wanted to cry when he had finished her off... He didn't make it last too long, he just did what was necesarry. Only those bits that were most resonant in his mind... But he didn't want to think about that now, no, he had a job to do.

Yakumo waited till they were but a few feet away to smash open the door and reveal himself to them. He would put on the whole show, just for them too. The wide eye's that would crack through the darkness in the eye holes in his mask, that predatory way that he stalked towards his victims, his own echoing laughter as he would tap the medical pliers on the palm of his giant hand. Everything before they died.

"My my..." He coed, "It seems I'm in luck tonight..." And then for that night he let Yamori out of his birdcage.

* * *

Banjou on the other hand, and his friends, were a different story. They were not to kill anyone, but rather only intimidate them, make them weak in the knees so that Kaneki would be able to get rid of them. There it was again... Kaneki used to be such a nice boy, he was like an animal... Banjou loved animals... That's why it made him so sad when he saw Kaneki now a day's... Always with that sad, yet somewhat hateful look in his eye's, which was masked behind that uncaring face... The only time he was happy was when he was around that author that he cared so much for... but now she was gone. And while he would have to cause death tonight, Banjou knew it was, at least for him, to bring back that smile to Kaneki's face.

Thankfully for the otherwise unimpressive ghoul, his bulk was deceptively effective in halting the members of the club from going any further.

* * *

Kurona found herself waiting on the couch of Maiko Abe's home... _Wait, no, what is she known as now? That's right, Madam A._ But, Madam or not, her home was incredibly tattered. Clothes hung from just about everything, there was empty water bottles scattered about, and it stunk like hell... Still though, she would probably fall asleep here(again) if Maiko didn't show up soon, though that would be fitting honestly after all she was dressed as if she was ready for bed, with her short white shorts and the baggy black shirt(that was actually why she wore what she wore). As useless as she was, _apart from testing out Papa's experiments_, She still got her cut of the money monthly and "Papa" had plenty of that to give her.

Then the kitchen door opened and in came the newest addition to their family, whether he chose to acknowledge it or not. His name was "Orange" and he was her and Nashiro's "Little brother" just like Ken Kaneki was their "Big Brother". He had a displeased look on his face, which apart from his frown and clear annoyance, was rather soft. His body clearly wasn't as developed(at least superficially) as his age would suggest, but when it came to half ghouls that hardly mattered. "Is she always this late?" He asked as he walked towards the nearest window and looked out towards the Tokyo skyline.

Kurona often found him doing that, whenever there was a window he would look out of it and enjoy the view... Well, Kurona didn't know if he "Enjoy'd" it, but he did stare at it. He only did this at night however, and only when there was something too look at. He also had this habit of tapping his fingers to a certain beat... sometimes the beat would differ but have the same type of feel behind it. When she had asked him about that, when he had first come out of that room about five day's ago, he simply said "I like music..." He was a quiet one, but she was his little brother after all, so she had a right to be curious, didn't she?

"There's really no schedule, only a date each month that she gets her money... But this is the latest that she has been gone, I suppose..." Kurona asked, turning to the blue static of the television, "If she's not back by sunrise we'll tell Papa, her disappearance, if she has, may be linked to Ms. Taguchi's." She then paused and turned back to Orange, "Are you tired?"

"What?" He asked, sounding almost irritated with her, but more so confused.

"I imagine your internal clock would be having a hard time adjusting to late nights, after all your lifestyle before hand probably required that you sleep often." She scooted over and patted the couch, noticing some dust bounce up from it, "Would you like to take a nap? There's no pillows but you could use my lap as a head rest if need be. After all, I am your big sister."

Orange turned away then and looked back out through the window. "No..." She then heard him say to himself "As if university allowed me to sleep..."

Kurowna tilted her head, had she angered him somehow? She, admittedly, had no experience on how to act with others besides Nashiro... well.. there was that girl... and then there was Rei... But they hadn't seen them in a while and she doubted they would cross paths ever again. But, Orange always seemed angry, it wasn't towards Nashiro, Papa, or herself, but someone else... perhaps someone who wronged him in the past... But, she supposed it didn't matter, soon they's all be happy, because they were all family... right?

* * *

**Morning.**

Touka pushed herself out of Eto's bed, finding it incredibly hard to leave. Of course, considering the comfort level of the mattress, blanket, pillow, everything about it, why would anyone sleep anywhere else? But, still she needed to get up, even though she truly didn't want too. especially not if Kaneki was going to be here... She wasn't mad at him, how childish would that be? Getting angry due to rejection, it was just... Touka guessed that it... it hurt. Not being wanted will have that effect, she supposed.

She didn't know what hurt more though honestly, the rejection, or Kaneki acting like it never happened. Of course at first she was grateful that he didn't bring it up, but it was beginning to feel like it was more of a nuisance to him, rather than something that had any meaning. _But listen to yourself, how selfish can you be? _She kept repeating, if Kaneki wasn't going to be happy with her and cared for Eto that much, who was she to ruin that?

* * *

After showering, brushing her teeth, getting ready for the day in general, Touka began her decent down the stairs, expecting to find Kaneki in his guest bed, sleeping after whatever it was he had done last night with Shittyama. Touka was angry at first, when he had left without her, leaving her to worry, but she got over that quickly. After all, he couldn't help it now could he? He recently had this idiotic notion that he had to keep his friends safe... as if they couldn't so on their own.

What she didn't expect to find was a woman, her hair black, almost greasy, her eye's small an beady... she seemed poor... being tied up and thrown on the couch. She was surrounded by Yakumo, Banjou, his group, and of course Kaneki. The latte of which was, much to Touka's concern, covered in dried blood. Though, she chose to ignore that detail.

"What the hell is going on?" She asked, meaning to make the annoyance in her voice more audible, but it was eclipsed by a yawn that eventually took complete control.

Kaneki turned to her, seemingly not noticing the blood that was covering him. Touka couldn't help but notice, though, that the smell wafting from him was not human blood... _What exactly happened at that restaurant last night? _She wondered, suddenly not caring about the tied up woman in the living room. Touka frowned, she knew what happened. And she knew that Kaneki must have had his reasons for what happened, but it still didn't make it any easier knowing what he was capable of. She, like just about everyone else at Anteiku, hadbegun to wonder if Kaneki would **ever **be back to normal again.

"I'm sorry, Touka." Kaneki apologized, then shifting his head away from her and back to the tied up woman who was now breathing heavy enough to break her restraints... as if she, being a ghoul, couldn't. It was more of an extra security Touka supposed, maybe it made them more comfortable with the situation, and her more uncomfortable. "I didn't want to bring her to the shop, because of the possibility of someone walking in and hearing or seeing her... you can go back to bed if you like."

Touka nodded, backing away a step, "Yeah, maybe I should." However, it wasn't in the high school students plan to do only that(even though she was tired). She, whether or not she would like them(which she knew she wouldn't) or not, wanted answers about last night. So, as a result, she walked to Banjou, who had during the time that she was talking to Kaneki, moved himself to the kitchen along with his group, to rest.

"Banjou." She almost whispered, comically knocking on the inner wall of the kitchen, as if she were intruding on him.

The bulked mans eye's fluttered for a moment, waking up his sleeping mind to the sound of his name, and then, when he remembered where he was he responded. "Oh, hello, Ms. Touka. I'm sorry, I'll get out of here if you need something, I'm just a little tired... after all it was a long night."

"Actually, Banjou, that's what I wanted to ask you about." She corrected his assumption, entering the kitchen completely.

"Hmm?" He hummed in question. He looked almost concerned about it. Was he worried that she was worried? Was it that bad? Or maybe it was just confusion, so she restated her question in a more simple way.

"I wan't to know what exactly Ken did last night."

* * *

Kanou sat in his observation room know, calmly, but excitedly, looking at the surveillance feed, keeping track of a certain group that had found the Yasuhisa mansion, broken the RC flesh wall, and had begun to trek through what, honestly, could be called a madhouse of a building. Though, the group seemed more annoyed than anything at the "obstacles" that they encountered.

The group, small as it was, consisted of five ghouls. A tall man, hair white as snow, and cloak hanging all the way down to his ankles, giving him a glow of power as he walked through the facility. A darker man, who's bulk was clear even through the shirt he wore. His hair was long and hit his upper back and his fu man chu hit his chest as it swayed when he stepped. A small man now, with a white suit, who seemed to be forcibly held close to the bulky man, who was complaining about trust and what not. A woman, one of two, she was small herself, with long green hair that carelessly ran down her back in curls and over her chest as well, she was wearing a purple dress, her legs and arms adorned with bandages that were bound tightly all around her, apart from her face... Kanou had sworn he's seen her somewhere before... And, Finally, leading the group was a familiar face, one the good doctor hadn't seen in a week or so, Taguchi, conforming his suspicions.

Aogiri had taken her, though she seemed unharmed, it appeared she had cracked... Kanou sighed, while he was not quite happy about it, he, at the moment, had no choice but to cooperate with whatever they wanted. They out manned and most likely out skilled Nashiro, Kurona, and Orange, the latter of which Kanou had decided would be kept under wraps from the tree for now, just until he could evaluate their trust.

Kanou had also kept the surgery room off limits, making sure that Aogiri couldn't replicate his work, if they could, then he would be of no use to them. Who knew how many ghouls were surgeons? It would make sense, a ghoul more than likely has a good understanding of the human body, it being their only source of food and all... And it was entirely possible that the Aogiri tree had just a ghoul in their organization.

Kanou chuckled, of course he had no proof of that, he was just being careful. But, in this world, can one ever be **too **careful? No, unpreparedness led to death, and while the doctor wasn't afraid of death, he wanted to make sure he lived to see fruits of his labor, as would any artist.

Finally, after what seemed an eternity, there was a sharp knock at the door, signaling their arrival. The twins who called the man "papa" flinched, but did nothing more. Swiveling around in his chair slowly Kanou turned, a smirk on his face as he looked at the door. "Nashiro, open it."


	25. More Guests

"Mr. Amon!" called a young, enthusiastic voice as the newly appointed Top-Class Investigator had just reached the brown mahogany door. He had hoped to be uninterupted in his walk to it, to the progress report of the binge eater case, of which he and Akira Mado, his former superiors daughter, had been working on for the past three day's. Amon thought it ridiculous to assume that a new investigator, regardless of how well her father had done himself, could find out any important details about the binge eater in a mere three days. However, the higher-up's had high hopes for her it seemed... But Koutarou had yet to see any reason for those hopes. He wasn't being rude, he was just stating facts, he was positive that she would eventually become great like her father, and that she could efficiently take down a ghoul(her father probably taught her a lot about that), but her ability in investigation had yet to be seen.

But, now he was lost in thought, and as much as he wished he hadn't been interrupted, he had still been addressed and it would be rude to ignore whoever it was who had called him.

Upon turning around to face the young, brown haired man that had called him and opening his mouth to reply Koutarou found himself cut off by the continuation of the investigators greeting. "Congratulations on your promotion! You know, most people retire as only a first-class investigator." He paused to smile before speaking again. "But to be promoted to Top-class at only 27... That's exactly what someone would expected from you."

Koutarou hadn't noticed, initially, that it was Seidou who had called out to him, so he couldn't be too annoyed. He was only 21 himself, so he was the expected age for a 2nd- class. Unfortunately for him, in his opinion anyway, he was normally stuck with desk jobs instead of field operations. Amon didn't know if it was bravery or Naivety that encouraged his want to go on field missions but either way it was a little admirable. But, there was a time every now and then that he would get his wish, though he was normally with Hoji when it was granted and nothing had ever happened. Takizawa grumbled about it, but got over it quickly... Hoji had forbade it, but the reason he had been left out of the Aogiri rade a few months back was because of the mans request. He didn't feel that the boy was ready for the combat and would rather gradually ease him into the more dangerous scenarios. "Thank you."

"What about me, Seidou?" A new, lighter voice announced, muffled by the sounds of chewing and licking. The two turned then, only slightly, to see a young man, even younger than Seidou, who at first appeard to be a girl if you didn't know him, chewing on a lollipop rather nonchalantly. It was Juuzou Suzuya, and just as before, he was acting as strange as he ever did... not to mention unprofessional... But, never the less he always got the job done... messily, but still done. "I got promoted too, Seidou, remember? You remember right? You should congratulate me as well!"

_That must have stung a fair bit... _Koutarou commented, smiling. It's never easy watching someone younger than you progress, especially when that someone practically skipped basic training.

Grumbling, and annoyed turning away from Juuzou, Seidou then spoke under his breath. "Yeah, I know... I just don't care."

Though, if he heard, Juuzou didn't seem to particularly mind it at all, he just kept sucking away at his candy, lacing his fingers behind his blonde scalp and walked right past the two into the meeting room. Koutarou didn't really mind it so much as Seidou did though. The young investigator now seemed to be fuming at the thought of the disrespect that he was just shown. However, thankfully, he didn't act on it. He just slumped his shoulders and followed.

In the end, the wait for Investigator Shinohara hadn't been that long, a few minuets at most, but who was counting? What really was bugging Amon was his subordinates lack of appearance. Still, ever the professional one, Koutarou, instead of angrily and loudly worrying about her whereabouts simply began to drum his fingers on the desk in front of him impatiently. _Your father would have none of this..._ Amon mentally scolded as he closed his eye's in annoyance.

However about that same time the door opened, letting in two figures. A small, slim one and a tall muscular one. The first of the two was, appropriately, Akira Mado herself, a slight smile on her face. Koutarou fought the urge to scold her for not rushing in to the room and finding her place quickly, making up for the time she could have cost them if she had not shown up just now. The second however, was Shinohara, who seemed to be accompanying ms. Mado in a friendly way.

Amon frowned... There was an excuse, but it was an excuse nonetheless...

However, there was a certain new feeling in the air... A feeling emanating from Seidou. He looked dejected, angry, and annoyed all at the same time. He had his head resting against the ball of his wrist, which was slightly digging into it, forcing the wrinkles on his head to become more and more prominent. "Oh, why does she have to be here?" Koutaro heard him grumble to himself. "Why can't she just leave me alone for once, huh?"

"Seidou?" Koutarou called, prompting him to turn his attention. "You two know one another?"

Seidou merely chuckled in defeat "We were in the same class..."

Amon looked back to Akira as she went to take her seat next to him, and, if his mind was not playing tricks on him, he would have sworn that he had seen a smirk on her face. Apparently Seidou and Akira, from the way they interacted, had some sort of rivalry back in the academy. The thought was almost enough to make Koutarou smirk himself, but it would be best not to... after all it would be very unprofessional.

"Now then..." Shinohara began, clasping his hands together in a formal fashion, "Now that we've all arrived here, I guess we can-" He stopped abruptly, frowning, and looking at Seidou. The boy was without a partner... he was alone.

"Ahhh... Seidou?"

Seidou turned to look at him, averting his glare from Mado. "Hmm?" He hummed in response.

"Where's Hoji at?"

"Oh, he said that he'd been called for some immediate business and that he couldn't make it... He tried calling you but it didn't go through. He wanted me to take notes for him." the 2nd-class explained, throwing his wrist into the air non-nonchalantly.

"I see..." Acknowledged Shinohara, "Then, let's begin with the debriefing on the binge eat-" Shinohara never got to finish that scentence, because as he tried to the door slammed open and in came a slightly sweaty, rushed Hoji, with a vanilla folder in his hands, documents slightly sticking out of it in a disheveled manner.

"Hoji?" Shinohara asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

"The main office..." he panted, "Has some important news from the twentieth ward."

* * *

That, of course, led to where the group of investigators standing in one of the many secret ghoul restaurants in Tokyo, along with some other members of the CCG, not quite investigators, but rather scientists. The scientists were the ones who were in charge of creating quinque's and other ghoul related things. Chief among them Dr. Chigyou, a rather skinny man who's large bowl cut hair seemed to intentionally have been styled to cover his eye's.

However, the scientist and his underlings were the least of Koutarou's worries at the moment. Of course he wouldn't even have noticed them had one not just accidentally walked into his field of vision. How could he care? After all, he was standing dead center in a room filled with the destroyed, decapitated, penetrated, and mangled bodies of ghouls. On top of that, the ghouls around, all seemed to be incredibly wealthy, dressed fashionably, in expensive attire... _But what good was all that money in the end? _He asked mentally, turning over a ghoul with his foot... _And what in the hell actually happened here?_

The forensics department had determined that this was no work of an investigator, nor the work of someone who had gotten their hands on a quinque, but another ghoul... Or ghoul's rather. The Kagune had different marks of entry, and the marks were consistent... Two rinkaku user's had been apart of this massacre as well as a Koukaku user. However there was one answer to all of this... The assailants. The more rough wounds were made by the 13th wards "Jason", a lieutenant in Aogiri... or so they thought him to be... But this was not an Aogiri attack, that much was certain. Aogiri only ever attacked humans, and besides, what would be gained from this?

The next one, the Koukaku user, was "The Gourmet". A ghoul who had been laying low recently, but not low enough to be off the radar completely. What was strange though, was that the CCG had been certain that the gourmet was a member of at least one of the restaurants, but the fact the fact that he was apart of this suggested a falling out... Now they didn't just rely on shape, they also relied on the DNA left from Kagune to determine the culprit... and the Lab worked **fast**.

The last assailant was... a shocker to say the least. The DNA left from the Kagune, as well as the shape of the wounds suggested none other than the "**Binge Eater**". The ghoul had resurfaced apparently, and they had announced their presence with a great force. But what was more worrisome is that... These three were working together...

Koutarou frowned and looked over to Suzuya, who was preoccupying himself by rolling over the giant masked man that they had found, gripping a quinque in his cold, dead hand... _Where the hell did they get that? _He watched as Suzuya began waving to the body, smiling brightly as if he had just been reunited with an old friend.

Next, Akira appeared next to him, almost causing him to jump at the sudden approach. "Koutarou," She spoke, in the way that she always did, without honorifics or anything like it. "The scientist are telling me that we can't gain anything else from being here any longer. They know this is our ward, but they can't have us impeding their work."

Koutarou nodded, turning as his subordinate did, a single thought in his mind... It was completley unrelated to the case and had zero relevance to anything else but... He couldn't help but wonder if "Eyepatch" had also been killed by this group... Amon hadn't seen the ghoul since his superiors death and the words he spoke to him resonated in his mind ever since. "Don't make me a killer..."

Koutarou frowned, _You're a ghoul... You were a killer the moment you were born._

* * *

It hadn't taken them long to get the woman to reveal that Dr. Kanou's residents, Touka noted, as the the group began towards the mansion that loomed at the end of the drivewat, surrounded by tree's that seemed to bee a cold blue in the light of the moon. "The group" was Kaneki, Yakumo, Banjou, his group,Shuu, Touka, and Madam A. The most flamboyant of which Touka demanded stay in her sight at all times, lest she end the fight that they had started 4 years ago. The Europe-envious ghoul simply flipped his purple hair chuckled at the threat when she made it, saying he had no intentions of letting Kaneki die to anyone who could do so in that mansion... It wasn't who was **in **the mansion she was worried about though...

Touka sighed to herself, shifting her eye's,only her eye's to Kaneki... Recently, despite his faith in Eto's "act", it seemed that all the progress he had made had been slowly becoming reset, bringing him back to how he was after they first rescued him from Aogiri... Much more unpredictable... just like this morning.

* * *

**Earlier Today, Author: Sen Takatsuki's (Eto) Home.**

Touka gulped as Banjou closed his lips for the final time, fully explaining what he had seen Kaneki do... Suddenly Touka was glad she had been left behind... According to the well-built, but admittedly weak, ghoul, Kaneki(along with Yamori, Shittyama, and Banjou himself, to some extent) had murdered every single attendee at the restaurant. The half-ghouls reason for the act was... understandable... and he didn't make them suffer. But, and the man wasn't quite sure of this himself, Banjou had thought he'd seen Kaneki eating the bodies, some of them, as the others hunted down any other employee or member at the restaurant.

And now, looking back out into the living room(noticing the shut tight blinds), Touka had seemed to realize that Kaneki had yet to notice that he was practically caked in the blood of ghouls... or he didn't care. God she hoped it was the former. It did seem though that he wasn't dealing with Eto leaving as well as he led on... Kaneki was becoming one of **those people**... How had the author her self described it? "The more used something someone is the more difficult it is for them to cope with losing it... At the same time, when pushed to extremities, those people(the ones who have lost) can become crueler than the world itself." Sighing, Touka nodded to herself more than banjou, and made her way back into the living room... she needed to show Kaneki that he wasn't alone in this...

Making her way past Yakumo, then Shuu, she finally arrived at Kaneki, who had taken the time to look down at his left hand, which was surprisingly clear of gore, apathetically, like he was bored of what was going on at the moment. Then, Touka found herself shaking, scared to how he'd reply to her. _It wasn't that long ago that he was more timid than even Hinami was it? No, certainly not... But... dammit... Why did you have to change?_

"Hey." Touka said, approaching the half-ghoul.

Quickly, as if he were hiding something, the white haired boy threw his hand behind his back and looked up, same apathetic look on his face. "Hi...' He replied back, a little confused.

Touka smiled, awkwardly, trying to find a way to get him to say more than that to her, and found her eye's wandering to that left hand which had suddenly been put away so quickly... that's when she saw it. A single, pale finger, the tip sticking out awkwardly in his closed fist... it wasn't his finger... _Oh God..._ Touka thought, looking away quickly and back to his face... _He **is** cannibalizing... But then, every time he eats he __cannibalizes one way or another, right?_

"I'm going to get you a bath ready... I don't know if you've realized it yet, but you're covered in blood." was her way of continuing the conversation.

"Kaneki looked down at his closed and frowned, "You're right... I am, aren't I?" he paused, looking up. "I'm sorry Touka, I didn't mean to scare you, or anyone, I just... Other things were on my mind..."

_Like cannibalism? _

"That's fine..." She said quickly, hoping to move past it... "So... How long after she tells you do you think we should go?"

Kaneki frowned, and opened his mouth. "Touka..." he began, almost apologetically, "You have your grades to worry about, as well as your identity as a ghoul... I can't let you come with me..." he paused, "I'm sorry."

There was almost a breathless silence for her... She felt like a child who was denied getting a present when she heard it... but unlike a child she could do something about it...

"You're joking right?" She replied almost instantly. "You're talking to **me** about school and social standings? You haven't been to school in half a year just about, and you haven't left this goddamn house except to go to Anteiku either!" Her voice was raising, gaining the attention of the others.

"It's not only that." Kaneki replied, "I don't want you getting hurt."

"Getting hurt?" She asked again, "What the hell are you talking about!? Sure I may not be stronger than you anymore, but that doesn't mean I can't take care of myself!"

"Touka-"

"I care about her too." She interrupted, angrily. "She's practically my older sister... She was all I had when Ayato ran off to be with those goddamn cultists! And, I know you aren't 100% sure that she actually **is **acting, but... I... You aren't denying me this..."

Of course, Like a lot of things in her life lately, it wasn't that simple was it? No, Eto was the main goal to her, of course, of course, but... She also wanted to see Kaneki happy again... Of course that's what most of them wanted, but, it felt like out of everything that's what she wanted the most out of this whole ordeal in terms of the result... _Kaneki had never done anything wrong, so why did he have to go through all this? _ She asked herself, still trying to keep a determined look on her face.

But, she found a way to keep it determined... She finally came to terms with herself... _It doesn't matter if he never returns my feelings for him... He had every reason not to, after all I've done to him... But, that doesn't change the fact that I wan't to see him happy again... Like before, when he was with Eto..._

* * *

It seemed though, while she had been lost in the memory of this morning, the group had traversed the incredibly large front lawn and to the giant set of twin doors that loomed over them. Touka frowned, supposedly, this entire mansion had belonged to a single family once... The Yasuhisa's, however after the family was attacked and the mother and father were killed by a ghoul it was abandoned... The city hadn't bothered to take it down, and no one bothered to but it... It just remained here, forgotten.

Kaneki turned to the now trembling Madam A, her finger now curled unto her lower, red lip. She had redawned the outfit earlier, since that would more than likely put Kanou at ease when she arrived. furrowing his brow at her, The half-ghoul spoke. "Is there anything unexpected behind these doors?" he asked, expecting a response.

The Madam simply shook her head no and averted her gaze to the ground, staring at her toes. Then, Yakumo had placed a rough hand on her shoulder and sighed. "Them, you woun't mind going first?" and with that, he pushed her into the door, causing it to burst open violently, almost breaking the lock, and into a dark hallway.

The rest followed in soon after, allowing the Madam time to get to her feet. The mansion had seemed... well kept, proving that Maiko hadn't lied to them, there was definietly someone still living in this house. There was hardly any dust, no dirt, and it practically looked like new... However, it seemed that at the moment it was empty. No one home.

"There's not a light on in the whole damn thing..." Murmured Banjou, to himself as he looked around, a little more than on edge. But, Kaneki recalled onetime, hearing it from Hinami, that the large man was afraid of ghost stories and horror television programming. So it wasn't that surprising.

Kaneki turned his head, just in time to see Madam A pick her prone form off the floor and dust off her clothes, adjusting those green glasses that she had on and puffing. "Call him." Kaneki told her, prompting her to quickly throw her head up in surprise.

"W-what?" She stammered, confused.

"I'm sure you have him on your cell phone, or some other way to contact him... So do it."

The woman began shaking her head vigorously. "N- NO, I don't! He finds **me **when he needs me, not the other way around... He doesn't trust me, and rightfully so... I mean... I led you all here, didn't I?" However, she saw Kaneki's glare, as subtle as it was on his apathetic face, and she began to think of someway to save her skin.

"B-but!" She said, almost excited, "Sometime's he comes out of his basement at times, with those two assistants of his... He may be there now!She said, now shifting her head towards a cellar door to her right, almost hidden, as it was the same color as the wall it was carved into. "W-why don't you go check it out?" She finished with a bright, almost happy smile. But her discomfort and feat was still quite visible.

Of course, Kaneki, ever so hopeful to finally meet with Eto a second time since her leaving, decided to take it. The underneath of the mansion was quite the contrast to the modern home that stood above. The basement was enormous, as well as a maze, along with looking like a mid-evil dungeon with it's brick layered hallway's, brown and powdery with the buildup of dust over the years.

Eventually, the group found themselves walking about another half hour, being led by the Madam, who was now visibly sweating as she searched the hallways for a door, any door. Kaneki, as well as the others of the group, aside from maybe Tsukiyama, who was admiring the smell of Kaneki, were becoming increasingly annoyed at the lack of any fruit to be bared.

Until Finally, they saw it... A giant slit in the wall, meaty, dripping and organic all the way... It was pulsing slightly, whether it was airflow or a heartbeat Kaneki didn't know, but what he did know is that this was a way forward if he ever saw one... Still, he had to know.

"What is that?" He inquired to the madam, who now looked just as confused or intrigued as he was.

"I... I don't know... It's disgusting. It looks like a gaping wound in a way doesn't it?"

"You mean you don't know what that is?" Touka inquired now, arching an eyebrow, "I thought you said you've been down here before."

"No, I said **he **has... Normally, I'm not allowed down in this part of the mansion, if I get past the front door at all. All of this is completely new to me..."

* * *

Kanou sighed as he looked at his computer monitor once again, tapping his finger onto the screen in boredom... _First Aogiri comes... Now the masterpiece returns... I can't decide whether these past two days are a blessing or a curse... I just have to wonder why he didn't come here sooner... After all I at least looked over him from afar when he was taken by aforementioned Ghoul organization..._ Kanou sighed mentally and smile.

"Kurona... Nashiro... Shachi... Orange... We have some uninvited guests... Make sure they don't get to see our two most important resident's will you?"


	26. The Curtain Rises

Eto grimaced as the fresh chunk of meat she swallowed slid down her thin throat. The taste, even after so much practice when she was younger and recently, was still more awful than the food human's produced. Still though, she didn't really have much of a choice now did she?

Annoyed, the half-ghoul gripped the water bottle to her right with anger, applying just enough force to make sure she only dented the plastic and not destroyed it. This is, and always has been the only way to make the taste of ghoul flesh go down easier. Bringing the water to her mouth and closing her eyes she eagerly and greedily sucked it in, using it to numb the disgusting taste.

Opening her eye's now, and sighing in dissatisfaction, Eto fell back unto her bed. Last night, she'd been transferred over to the care of Dr. Kanou, immediatley after he had agreed to join the terrorist group. He said that studying her would allow him to continue his "experiments". Eto had already met two of those "Experiments", Twins. Their names were Kurona and Nashiro, the two daughters of the family that had once owned the home, now turned it a madhouse. There was a third, Kanou had told her this, but she'd yet to meet them. They hadn't been there when Aogiri had arrived in the mansion, and she hadn't seen them all the time she was hear... It made things feel ominous...

In thought about the half-ghouls that surrounded her, Eto couldn't help but think of two other important half-breeds... One she missed and one she would meet...

* * *

_Tatara, Ayato, and Naki, leaving the Taguchi nurse here, back with the good doctor. Taguchi had been their leverage over her for about a week now, the only thing that was making her stay with Aogiri lest they use her to send CCG to Anteiku. And, now, due to the doctors own curiosity towards the authors nature, even though she was not in the organizations immediate care, she was still the sole reason that she was even here..._

_The author didn't hate her, she couldn't, especially not since the nurse didn't particularly appear to **want **to here at present. Through the entire time that Eto had been held at Okinawa she had not been allowed to see the nurse, not even allowed to be in the same room... She supposed it was Tatara's cautious side. After all, killing the nurse would have been an easy way out, Tatara knew that none of Aogiri could stand up to The One-Eye'd Owl._

_The only person there that she had been allowed to see, and she did not absolutely hate, that was of some connection to her; was Ayato. She hadn't seen the boy in two years or so, not since he was twelve. That being the case she was somewhat elated(in the sense that there was some light in the darkness of her current reality) to see him. However, he wasn't as pleased. _

_Touka's younger brother wouldn't look at her pseudo older sister, wouldn't talk to her, wouldn't even acknowledge her. All of which made her sad. He wasn't foing this out of a distaste for her, or for anyone at Anteiku, but rather a sense of guilt. She could see it in the way he moved around her, he was afraid, afraid she would reject him out of betrayal and so he strayed from her, despite her attempt to talk to him... She wasn't angry, however, just a little Disappointed. _

_Then, distracting the new occupant of the underground laboratory from her thoughts, the door that blocked her quarters out from the rest of the world began to hiss. She could hear the sounds of gears creaking and metal slabs sliding out of place. The door was much like a safe from the outside, a pain to open. However from the inside the door was practically just another door._

_Finally, after the door opened completely, a young, white haired girl stepped in. She reminded(in appearance) Eto of Kaneki, with his white hair. Her's was just as white if not more so. White and Long, she made Eto feel at ease in some strange way._

_"Papa will see you now..." She spoke, monotone voice as she looked at the original half-ghoul, with her multicolored eye's._

_"Papa?" Eto questioned, curiously. "You mean the doctor, right?" She continued, probing the girl._

_"He's Papa to me and Kurona... Our little brother Orange doesn't refer to him as such, but he will soon..." Spoke the girl, some simbalance of hope in her light, monotone voice. _

_Eto sighed, it seemed that no matter what, both humans and ghouls need family in the end... It was clear as day to Eto by smell alone that the two sisters were not related to the doctor, and she doubted orange was as well, but, they had to have lost someone... Kanou was their escape from the fact that they were alone in the world... It was a shame, because they wasted themselves on him, Idolizing him when it was clear that they meant nothing to him, other than being successful experiments. What would they do when that happened?_

_It hadn't been but 10 minuets before she sat in front of Dr. Frankenstein himself, Kanou, having just taken her blood and was now examining it under his microscope(which he more than likely stole from the hospital). But then, it was **his **hospital now wasn't it? It was quiet to, the sound of air going through vents was the only thing that prevailed in the void. Until Kanou spoke up, something akin to elation in voice._

_"Oh my, miss Takatsuki..." He spoke bringing his head away from the eye holes and turning to face her. "Why didn't you tell me that you were with child?"_

* * *

... In about nine months...

* * *

They had been in the laboratory for not more than five minuets and already Kaneki had begun to feel like something was wrong. The boy had expected Alarms, red lights, the sounds of doors locking up tight. Not this, though, not the calm, eerie silence. It had been apparent that the Madam had expect a similar reaction as Kaneki did. From what he could tell by looking at her mouth- Madam A was confused. Maybe Kanou really had stepped out for a bit? But, even if he had, it made little difference. the group would still find and interrogate him. And if Kaneki had his way- Do much more than that.

Suddenly, the floor had changed, where the enclosed hallway ended a new, more open area had emerged. Actually, open wasn't quite the word Kaneki would use. The room was big, no doubt, but the area of movement was limited. The only means of traversing it were two intersecting catwalks, suspended above four large containers filled to the brim with dark green fluid, that opened up into four separate halls. Kaneki began to wonder if it was to be a maze of some sort, to throw off any would be intruders.

Going through each hallway would waste time, something Kaneki didn't know how much they had left of. Sighing the ghoul rubbed the back of his white hair, causing it to bounce slightly with each stroke of his palm.

"Madam A." Kaneki spoke, ice in his tone, "Do you have any idea of where the doctor may be? Which route should we take?"

"I don't know the layout down here," she responded, sounding a little snippy, "I told you I'm lucky if I get past the front door."

Kaneki frowned, he would have to let fortunate decide what lied ahead of them on their current path and if it yielded nothing, then they would take their time with the next hallway. Again it would waste time, but he'd rather them stay as group than splitting up... This was unknown territory that they tread in and Kaneki wasn't about to get anyone hurt by them going off by themselves.

"Alright then." he sighed once more, "let's continue on the path we're on now, if there ends up being nothing then we come back and find another way..."

* * *

Continue on they did, walking past more and more soulless walls of metal- of which seemed almost blue. The feeling of eeriness that was once thick in the air around them had now descended into one of boredom and of tediousness. Kaneki had begun to miss the darkness of the mansion above, at least that had some bit of interest to it. The half-breed wondered if the doctor had made the area like this for a reason. To many, blandness conjured up relaxation and that gave rise to a less stressful working environment. However, he doubted that there was any such reason that deep for this... It was probably just an indifference towards the look of it and more based on function.

However, the repetitiveness of the lab soon ended and the group found themselves in another open space... However, there were a few major differences in this one. For one- it was bigger, at least twice the size of the other. Second, it was almost completely empty, more than likely waiting to be filled with some other machinery of some sort. And finally, and this was by far the most notable change- there were four figures standing in front of them.

The first notable one was a huge, tanned man. He bore a Fu Man Chu which reached down to his chest and long hair that likely reached a similar length in the back. Next were thee two smallest. Their appearances looked like what you would get should you turn the colors on a computer screen to negative. Where one was black- another was white and vice versa. Finally, there was the last of the group. He wore a strange mask- a garment the others did not. It streched from the bottom of his chin to the very back of his skull, revealing only his ears and his neck. Kaneki guessed the mask to be tinted glass, something that allowed the user to see fine, but the opponent wouldn't see a thing underneath. From his exposed ears came two small, red, ear buds that ran down under his coat.

Kaneki narrowed his eye's at the group of four. _This must be security._

"Oh my..." Tsukiyama cooed, bringing a curled index finger to his lower lip, "What an ominous little group we've found. Wouldn't you say, Kaneki?"

Kaneki remained silent. Ominous was right, though. There was only four of them and there was eight of them. Actually, no, considering people who could fight there was only four but... They couldn't know that could they?

Yakumo frowned now, narrowing his eye's. This was most definitely not good. The S-rated ghoul couldn't speak for the three little ones, but the big one was trouble. His name was Shachi, the previous leader of the 4th ward before he was sent to Cochlea. However, despite being captured he was no one to fuck with. Being SS-rated he was known in the ghoul underworld for being an expert fighter. Having learned martial arts from a human and having the body of a ghoul- He was one of the most feared in Japan.

"Kaneki..." Yakumo said lowly to their leader, "The big one, I'll handle him..."

Kaneki's eye's shifted, "What?"

"It's not that I think you're incapable, but... even if you do manage to beat him that would only be time wasted. This guy is strong, so much so that he practically kept the 4th ward dove free for sometime." Yakumo paused, "I'll draw him from you, just get to Kanou and get your answers so we can get out... If it was just him we may have a chance, but since the others will probably be a problem we can't risk fighting for too long."

Kaneki nodded in agreement, all the while admiring the man. Keeping any ward dove free is almost impossible, even the peaceful 20th ward had it's share of doves every now and again. "When I go, all of you back me up... I'm going for that doorway behind them.

Then, there was a silent understanding between all of them and Kaneki could feel the tensing up of body's. "And, Banjou... I know it's a lot to ask, but, help however you can. Just be careful..."

"That was my intention, Kaneki." He responded, trying to sound as macho as possible... he just hoped no one could see his legs shaking underneath his pants.

"Ok... GO."

Kaneki leaped fast, hoping to take the four by surprise by bolting right at Shachi. The big ghoul had gotten into a ready stance for him, preparing to catch him when he jumped over him... So Kaneki would go under. Allowing his feet to leave the ground and letting his momentum carry him a few feet forwards Kaneki began to glide slightly, becoming airborne. Then he dropped, sliding against the metal and right between Shachi's legs making his way into the hallway.

"Damn boy!" The ghoul yelled, beginning to turn, only to be blocked off by a Kagune narrowly missing his head by mere centimeters. Turning his body back around, he found that the boy's group had, in the time it took him to dupe the martial artist, released their Kagune into the open as well... So his group did the same...

Touka marveled at the sight before her then, it was impossible, there was no possible way that there were more... More people with Rize's Kagune. It was the smaller three, the two girls and the masked one. The big guy had one of his own... a bikaku. But this really only could mean one thing... Rize had to be alive somewhere. A kakuhou can only produce Kagune as long as it's been fed RC cells and unless Kanou had made some machine- there was no other way.

Shachi growled lowly to himself. The entire blockade they had set up had been bypassed in a simple move. The white-haired one was smart... That made him dangerous. However, Dangerous as they may be, Shachi wasn't about to fail in the assignment he'd been given.

"I'll follow hi-"

He couldn't finish his sentence- Orange had already taken off after him.

"Tch..."

Kaneki had gained a significant head start, that was clear... But, as fast as he was, he could hear the sound of a second pair of footsteps behind him. He sighed mentally, there was no way around it, of course at least one of them would follow. Skidding to a halt now, Kaneki turned and bent forward, having his Kagune smash out from his tailbone and curl into the air.

What he saw was baffling to say the least. It was that masked one, only now his Kagune was bare for the world to see... What's more, it was his own.

Then masked ghoul didn't bother slowing down at all, no. Instead he rushed head on into Kaneki, curling his own, red appendages forward in front of him like a ram.

Kaneki was almost too late to block, providing only a slight cushion for the blow as he was moved back a bit. However, the assailants attacks didn't end there, now he was using his Kagune like a spear, poking at him and leaving him on the defensive side of the fight... Making sure he got nowhere. But, there was something more than a duty behind his blows... It was anger, like he held a grudge. But, Kaneki ignored the feeling and began reading his patterns.

Each time he attempted to strike there was a second long delay... It was slim but it was more than enough.

Pushing hard now, Kaneki shot his own Kagune appendage forward, using his body weight behind it as well. He aimed the tendril straight for the masked head of the ghoul and pushed hard. Said ghoul reeled back hard and far...far enough it seemed. The glass of his masked cracked and the helmet shattered, but Kaneki felt no flesh tearing and for a second he was blind.

The glass of the helmet rained down between the two like a waterfall. The chunks weren't necessarily that big, but the light in the hallway was so bright that it reflected off broken glass well enough to block his vision. Giving his assailant time to punch him in the stomach.

Kaneki reeled back, clutching his stomach roughly and preparing for another blow. But nothing ever came. Instead Kaneki found himself starring on in a mix of shock, horror, and despair... emotional despair.

The man who's masked he had taken off had orange hair, big, brown eye's, one of which was now red and black, and a soft face. The frown on it a contrast to the soft. Of course Kaneki couldn't forget who he was seeing, what kind of person would he be if he forgot **him.**

"H-Hide..."


	27. His Fault

Hide had never once in his life wanted to do anything but have fun- never do anything but laugh. However, now all wanted to do... was **die**. It wasn't fair, was it? What had he done to have this happen to him? Damn, he didn't even remember how long it had been since he had been torn open- numbed slightly, but not enough to negate the pain entirely(if at all). He swore he could feel whatever they had put inside of him **squirm**.

Hide couldn't open his eye's at present, not that he was scared, nor did anyone tell him not to, he just couldn't... it hurt to much. It hadn't been so long ago(a few hours maybe) since that doctor had come into the room... God, he fucked with his head... **He **was the one who had cut him up- **He **was the one who was responsible for his being here. But, he was so... friendly. Hide knew that he shouldn't buy into the act, that the doctor was trying to produce a Stockholm syndrome type of scenario into place, but he wouldn't fall for it... It was just nice... having someone to talk to through this he supposed.

Despite his cheerful personality, people ignored Hide, always choosing other people from his circle of friends to crowd around, eventually forgetting about him. Sure, it hurt at first, but people would come and go, ya know? Besides, he was healthy, he made grades, his life was pretty good... and he always had Kaneki... Except... Kaneki wasn't here now... Where was he? Hide hadn't seen him in so long... He'd been pretty lonely since he left.

"You know... It's his fault you're in this predicament now." A voice echoed, almost making Hide jump(if he had the strength to, that is).

Hide knew the voice well, it was the doctor's. Apparently, he'd slipped in here without Hide even noticing. But something wasn't right... Hide was certain that he was just thinking to himself... he didn't feel his lips move, nothing... Unless he was losing control of his body and mind.

"I don't know if you can hear me, Hideyoshi Nagachika, but the entire reason you're here is because of your friend, Ken Kaneki..."

Hide remained quiet(If he could even talk). How exactly was Kaneki responsible for this at all? He hadn't been there when those two, hooded ghouls jumped him after he exited the pay phone.

_Wait, what was I doing at the payphone?_ Hide wondered. _It was something to **do **with Kaneki, but it wasn't this... I-I don't think... _He paused, racking his brain hoping to remember... But he didn't remember much. All he could recall was being captured. _Dammit... All I can draw is a blank._

"Originally, when I had heard Aogiri had captured Kaneki, through the grapevine, I was worried. Despite being my prototype, Kaneki was my greatest work, and I couldn't afford his death. I, along with Nashiro and Kurona, made our way out to the 13th ward that day. The twins were full well prepared to sacrifice themselves to save Kaneki at my order, but I was reluctant to lose them too... That's when we overheard your little phone call to the CCG."

_Oh no... _Hide began to sweat in the darkness, felling each individual drop run down his skin, _I- did I rat on Kaneki? Anteiku? The Author? Why? What could've driven me to do that?_

"You saved us the trouble of having to get our hands dirty by calling the Commission of Counter Ghoul." he paused, "And for that we are very grateful... Still, I saw an opportunity and I took it. Over the months since Kaneki had been released from my care, I've had many other... less successful experiments and I was running out of patients to take from the hospital without bringing suspicion upon myself... But, I remembered you, from the times that Kaneki was bed ridden... Your visits and how close you were."

He heard the doctor begin to walk over to his slab, the echoing of boots on metal ringing loudly inside of his head. "I find your story sad, Nagachika, don't you? Even more so than Ken's..." Hide felt the doctor hovering over him, watching him as he remained still, "All you wanted was to make sure Kaneki was safe... And look where your kindness has landed you..."

_Shut up..._ Hide warned mentally, _I did that because Kaneki's my... My friend?_

"I realize... As children we are taught to put others before ourselves and that's perfectly fine... But is it when it causes **you **pain?" The doctor asked in rhetoric, "I've been keeping tabs on my prototype since that night... And it's my burden to tell you that he hasn't even considered your well being since that day. It's almost like he's forgotten about you. Replaced you with his friends at Anteiku..."

"H- he wouldn't..." Groaned out Hide, grabbing at Kanou's coat. "We've been f-friends since elementary... he wouldn't leave me like that..."

"Then, why hasn't he come looking for you?"

The words stung Hide. They stung because everything Kanou said up till then had been true. Kaneki had seen less of him. He had been spending more and more time at Anteiku... He hadn't even told Hide that he was a ghoul... Now here he was, and he could guess what the doctor had done to him. The same thing he had done to Kaneki, turned him into a ghoul.

The realization made Hide's stomach drop. Hide didn't want that, or any of this... He just wanted to live a normal life... Now he couldn't. What was the reason for it? Simply because he choose to befriend Kaneki. Now, when he got right down to it, he was a monster because Kaneki was thinking with his dick...

"Don't worry though... **We **won't abandon you... Not, like Kaneki did. Here- we are all the future of existence."

* * *

Touka lowered her body forward, using her now crystallized Ukaku to intercept a coming swing from Rize's kagune. _Smack! _The force behind the hit was enough to almost make Touka fall face first into the floor, but, in her resilient nature, she pushed back, holding her ground. She was fighting the white haired girl. From appearances, she didn't look like much, but she packed a heavy swing. _Both with and **without **Rize's kagune._ Touka added, absent-mindedly placing a gentle hand over a now slighty swollen cheek.

Letting out a primal growl, that eventually worked it's way up to a scream, Touka pushed against her with a sudden rush of adrenaline, breaking the momentary lock of pressures and pushing her off of the single wing she had. It was a testimony to Touka's strength, but to be honest she felt more than a little unnerved. The girl, just like her counter part of reversed colors, showed almost no emotion at all. If, through all the times Touka had landed a hit, she felt it at all Touka didn't know. Touka had riddled her arms with shards once already, but she still came, almost unhindered.

This time was no exception. After the white one had regained her foot from the shove, she had once again began to rush Touka. _Shit. _Touka was at a severe disadvantage here. She wasn't particularly weak at hand to hand, nor was she weak in general, but she was still an Ukaku ghoul, and her stamina was proof of that. She already found herself sweating after all, and it wasn't from fear.

The rabbit threw her torso forward at an angle, bending her wing slightly to match the arm. Then, as her opponent neared her, Touka began to spin backwards, spraying the girl with blood-red shards. Though, it seemed the girl was a fast learner. Rappidly she used Rize's kagune to bat away at the projectiles, slowly moving forward. It wasn't the intended result, but it had bought Touka at least **some **breathing room.

Tsukiyama was having a much easier time however, in fact it seemed like he was probably enjoying himself. He was almost dancing around as he fought the black counter part- who just couldn't seem to land a hit on the flamboyant gourmet. He swung his koukaku around like a blade- taking wide slashes and quick gabs forward. His footing, his stance, even the way he tilted his head reminded Touka of some kind of fencer holding his sword. And it pissed her off.

It wasn't just the smug grin on his face, It was the way he was toying with the girl. He had multiple opportunities to get rid of her, but he purposely let them pass... Just for the sake of his own enjoyment. _Idiot, keep doing that and you'll regret it._

Of course, Touka wasn't the only one of the three having trouble. It was a rare sight to see, Yakumo being bested as easily as he was. Of course, he stilll did land the occasional hit every now and then, but not enough to slow the darker man down. Touka almost felt bad for him, but then she remembered **who he was**. Sure, he may be helping them now, but he was still the reason Kaneki was like this, the way he is now. That's not to say Touka is heartless, however. She would have helped the man if she could, but she and Tsukiyama were currently enveloped in their own fights at the moment.

Yakumo wasn't quite sure he could feel his feet anymore he had been hit so hard. The blows had such a force behind him that, as he stumbled, his head felt as if it were only on a platform that wouldn't stop shaking- and this time was no different. Before he could recover from the crushing power behind Orca's attack, Yakumo felt another fist rushing into his gut, propelling his back with it, but keeping his feet stationary.

He was almost going to laugh- he hadn't been hit this hard since Kaneki had fucked him up back in the 11th ward. The result was also the same. He felt his muscles ripple from the impact and finally they stopped at the center of his back. And he went flying.

Well, that was an exaggeration, but he may as well have been airborne. During the time his feet had left the earth(or metal) Shachi had grabbed him by the ankle and used his fin shaped bikaku to ram him back into the ground. Metal tore up into the air due to the force of impact, ruining what was otherwise a fine metal floor.

Now he felt Orca straddle him, sitting on his waist, using his full body weight to keep him pinned and began to fire shotgun like punches into his face- breaking his nose over and over again as it mended itself each time. Truth be told, had anyone else gotten in this position over him, they would most certainly be regretting it. But this was Orca, he was feared through out all of japan- hell, maybe even the world. And God did he earn that respect... Yakumo had been too numb to use his kagune due to the blows to the head- making him lose feeling in his body.

_Dammit... After everything I've been through... And he's not even using his damn Kagune. _Yakumo mentally scoffed as he began to lose consciousness. However, that's when he saw someone he had hoped to never lay eye's on again... **her**. It wasn't really fair in all honesty... It wasn't his fault right? No, it wasn't. And it wasn't like he didn't want to see her out of some petty spite- but rather he wanted to... But how could he ever face her? That's when he knew though, he wasn't dead just yet.

* * *

Banjou and the others had taken refuge in the corner of the room, the tallest of the group using his body, as weak as it was, to shield his followers, who trying their best to hide behind him and still appear brave. Banjou's jaw was set sternly in fear as he watched Jason of the 13th ward being beaten to a pulp. The others were doing better- but he wasn't sure how long Orca would be wailing on Yakumo. He could turn to Shuu or Touka at anytime. _Fuck... If it comes to that I'll have to fight... No, don't think about it like that- that's just selfish... But still... I don't want to die..._

His eye's began to scan for something- anything to keep his eye's away from the brutality being displayed. It was weird, until now Banjou never felt anything for Jason, in fact he hoped that the bastard would die in the most horrible way possible. But, now, as he watched the man being destroyed, he couldn't help but feel bad. And as he lamented Jason's beating, he saw a figure looking on from another doorway, wearing a nurse outfit, looking as horrified as he felt at the display of power. He had to wonder though, was the other doorway there the entire time? Or was it hidden? But, that didn't matter at the moment.

The nurse, he observed, rather bravely, began to step out. Her feet were bare as they stepped over the metal, which must have been freezing. From the tattered look of her outfit, the disheveled way of her brown hair, and the black under her eye's, Banjou could tell that she wasn't someone who enjoyed it here.

Then she saw him, cowering in the corner, and her eye's almost lit up. Why? Banjou wondered. He was a ghoul, and could tell from her scent that she was decidedly human. Maybe it was like his situation with Aogiri? Despite him being part of it he didn't like it.

Then, in the most confusing display yet, she began to wave her hand, beckoning him, and his underlings, over too her. God, did he want to run over there, but he couldn't, not when the others were still fighting. Sure, he couldn't do much, but he could try to help right? Banjou, though reluctantly, shook his head. He wasn't going to abandon them.

Frowning in fear, the nurse then looked over to the fights and froze. What was she planning? Her face was still and she almost appeared to have stopped breathing. Then he saw her take a deep, heavy breath. Like she was sucking in the courage to do whatever she had planned. And then she initiated it.

"Hey!" She screamed loudly, "You two with the purple hair, over here!"

Banjou almost began to laugh, was she serious?

* * *

Touka kicked away the girl who refused to give her any space, **finally **causing her to reveal some form of physical pain. She used the short time too look over to the voice. It was a tattered girl in a nurse outfit, the cloth torn up and practically rags. Her skin was dirty and her eye's had severe black under them. She was motioning towards herself vigorously.

Touka almost laughed herself, did she honestly expect her to trust her? They were in enemy territory, everyone was a threat... But, it was still quite the trade off. She was just one girl, a **human **girl at that... And even if she had a quinque with her, there were eight of them and one of her, how much could she do?

Touka looked over to Tsukiyama, her eye's asking for conformation... The twins weren't to bad, but that big guy... Touka didn't think any of them stood a chance compared to that guy. Speaking of which... it didn't appear Yakumo had much of a chance. Shuu simply shrugged, giving her the decision... she took it. Turning her head to Banjou, the girl ordered him. "Yo, Banjou, let's go!"

He didn't need to be told twice. It was practically unanimous as they all took for the door.

Shachi grumbled aloud as he watched his targets escaping towards a newly opened door- one that he didn't even know about until just now. _I won't let you... _ He thought to himself, leaving his punching bag behind as he took off after the group, the twins joining is side shortly after they recovered. running, for their enemies was futile... Orca had practiced and mastered martial arts, and combining that with his endurance as a ghoul made him incredibly strong and fast... they couldn't out run him, not even the Ukaku...

Then he felt it, his muscle tearing as a foreign entity entered his right shoulder, pushing all the way through and pinning him to the floor. Then, the twins were knocked away with the swing of a giant appendage, flying out of his now restricted sight. Straining his neck to see over his back he saw something that should have been impossible... That man who he had so thoroughly beaten into the floor was now up. But more impossibly, he bore a new Kagune... It was a deep red pulsing with anger and excitement and it stretched from his lower back all the way over to both of his arms and his face... Shachi knew that the man had been eating ghouls recently, he could smell it each time he punched with wind out of him, he just didn't think his metamorphosis was this far along.

Then he heard the once opened door slam shut, followed by a breathy laugh and finally... "What's 1000-7?"

* * *

Eto found herself shaken from her bed, not physically but more due to the sounds that had begun to bounce of the walls... They were like explosions in some way... _But who would be here? _Of course, as soon as she asked that she realized how dumb of a question it was... _Dammit, Kaneki..._

* * *

**_ A/N: Hello everyone? Just a quick question that's been bothering me. Do these chapters feel rushed to you? Maybe it's just me being self-conscious about my writing but what do you think? Anyway's Enjoy the chapter!_**


	28. I, More Than You

As the hissing of the shutting door set inside the small cramped corridor Touka found herself almost hoping to see Yakumo enter behind them- just barely making it... But then she only "almost" wished it. Instead she was greeted with the door that shielded them against their assailants, complete with the ominous rumble of fighting going on.

Touka had seen what had happened. She had seen that strange Kagune that had wrapped itself around Yakumo's torso with those two thick arms. She had never seen anything **like **it before though. Still, the answer was somewhat obvious. Yamori, as he used to address himself, was a known cannibal and everyone had heard the stories of what cannibalism does to the ghouls who can stomach it... _Kakuja._

Touka had tried it once, admittedly. However, she would have rather eaten Yoriko's cooking.

"A- alright, lady..." Banjou breathed out heavily, not out of exhaustion but rather fear, as he leaned his back against the wall and gripped at his heart. "What's the deal? Who are you and why are you helping us?"

A valid question, no doubt, why **was **she helping them? They were ghouls. She was human. For all the nurse knew the group would eat her the moment she turned her back on them. However, she seemed to not care in the slightest, just placing her ear to the metal door and listening carefully. Then, removing her head from it, she sighed, almost in relief.

"The door will hold... But they'll find a way around soon. If Jason doesn't kill them first that is..." She spoke, sounding a little bit **too **excited about Yakumo killing the ghoul security force... and a bit sad as well.

"Hey!" Banjou spoke once more, gaining a little bass to his voice now, "You hear me? What the hell is your deal!"

The nurse shot him an annoyed glance in response. As weak as Banjou was for ghoul standards, it was still pretty brave of her to do. In fact, Touka almost laughed when she noticed the bulky man tense up in fear a bit when she looked at him.

"That's my business." She spoke calmly, but with a bit of authority. That answer, however, would not do.

Tsukiyama gripped her arm as she turned, hard enough to make her wince, but not enough to cause any serious pain, and pulled her close in a threatening manner. "Forgive me, mon amor, but you see; after being attacked we are all a little on edge at the moment. As it stands now, none of us have a reason to trust you at all. So, you will tell us who you are, why you helped us, and what you want." the gourmet paused for a moment then gently rubbed a finger over her eye and smiled, "Unless of course, you want to lose your pretty brown eye's..?"

The nurse frowned, trying to act unfazed. The gourmet was known for his affinity for eye's, though. Taguchi knew that.

After a tense silence, the nurse finally gave way, sighing and looking down she spoke. "Alright dammit, just get your hands off me. I've been grabbed enough in the past few weeks to last for a lifetime..."

Tsukiyama complied.

"My name is..." she paused then, considering actually telling her name to them, then spoke,"Taguchi. I-" she paused again, this she would rather not tell them. It was not out of shame so much as it was out of a fear of how they would respond to the information. "I used to be Kanou's assistant... I helped Kanou turn Kaneki into what he is today."

Taguchi noticed the youngest girl of the group, who she had now deduced to be rabbit, tense up slightly in anger at the statement. She had good reason to as well if the nurse was being completely honest with herself, Kaneki had been suffering since that day and it was partially her fault.

"You spoke in past tense." spoke up one of the gas-masked ghouls now, another female, leaning forward and sticking a finger out to her, "Did you and Kanou have a falling out?"

The nurse looked away, frowning. "In a way... yes..." There was malice in her voice, malice that ran deep. "A few weeks ago, I was taken by Aogiri tree the ghoul organization that also took your friend... I was used as a source of information and as leverage to make her stay."

"Leverage?" Banjou asked, vocalizing the question they all had.

"Yeah. They told her that if she refused to join them, or at least remain in their custody, they would send me to the CCG and make me tell them about your coffee shop."

Touka's mouth opened slightly at the revelation, "So Kaneki was right... she was protecting us..." However, Aogiri was one thing, all of Tokyo was another. "Then, we can't... we can't let Kaneki get to Eto." Touka spoke, almost letting her voice choke. Dammit, it wasn't fair. She'd give anything to see the author again, but it seemed fate was less than obliging. "If she leaves Aogiri, which she won't, then the CCG will come down on us. We'll have nowhere to run or hide..."

"Wrong." Taguchi spoke, determined, almost as if she were trying to lift Touka's spirit's. "I was their leverage. If you can manage to bust me out of here then they'll have no bargaining chip for them to keep her there."

Touka nodded her head slowly, allowing the pieces to fall together slowly in her head. "Right, Right! But, what about Kanou, I can only assume that you being here means that you gave them the information about the laboratory and Kanou had joined them. Won't they use him as well?"

"He won't do it." she assured, "Not as long as we get **her **out with me. Then he won't dare let a possible keeping place for her be attacked."

"Who is "**her**"?" Tsukiyama now spoke up.

"The binge eater, Rize Kamishiro."

Banjou's ears were ringing now. Had he heard her right? _Rize? Rize is here, she's alive?! _His heart was beating fast and he became more and more excited. He was smiling(Thankfully unseen by the others, a big, toothy smile that made him look a psychopath. His hands were jittery and his eye's widened. "Rize!?" He asked, hoping for conformation. "What is she doing here?!"

Taguchi looked at him almost apologizing. From the way he spoke, his excitement, he almost sounded like a kid. It was clear he held her dear to himself one way or another. "She's the base for those two twins you saw out there, as well as for Kaneki... Kanou has been harvesting her Kakuhou since the steel beam incident... I'm sorry."

She then turned her attention back to everyone. "If we get her out of here as well, then Aogiri will have no weapon to use against you..."

* * *

Kaneki quickly side stepped, narrowly dodging a fist that had been aimed for his face and letting it crash into the wall that had hindered his retreat. The metal dented under the force, creating a jagged crater. Kaneki had to distance himself from Hide, the latter of which was giving uninterrupted chase after the white haired ghoul.

Thousands of questions fired off at once in Kaneki's mind. Why was Hide here? Why does he have Rize's Kagune? Why does he have a kakugan in his eye? But out of all of those questions, only one stood prominent. _Why is he trying to kill me?_

The prototype then threw his head back, lifting his body into the air, his white hair like a freshly washed sheet being tossed about, allowing a tentacle, which had been thrown to resemble some what of a back hand, to fly over his head. However, he was not quite safe yet. Fingers then wrapped around his ankle, pulling Kaneki towards his assailant with ease.

Then, with a hard hit to the gut, Kaneki was punched into the floor. The sickening sound of skin smashing against then being peeled of metal rang through out the room and Kaneki found the air he had in his lungs had ran out like there was a fire. Fully anticipating another blow, Kaneki crossed his forearms over his chest in a guarding motion and brought his legs up to form a tight ball.

However the blow never came, instead, Hide simply stood over Kaneki, looking at him; his face a mixture of confusion and displeasure accompanied by labored breathing. "Why..." he paused, catching his breath "Why aren't you attacking me..." He stated more than asked as he looked down at Kaneki, body completely lose.

There was a tense silence, Kaneki keeping his face monotone as he looked up at his assailant, who was coincidentally his best friend. He had begun to ask himself the same question. Why wasn't he attacking Hide? Whether the orange haired boy knew it or not Kaneki could easily take him on, he had more experience. Kaneki could end this with a single blow. So... why didn't he... Actually. He knew.

"I don't want to hurt you." Kaneki replied, tensing up even further as he did.

Hide tilted his head a little, opening his mouth slightly. "You don't want to hurt me?"

Another tense silence.

"It's a little late for that, don't you think?"

"What?" Kaneki asked, confused himself now.

"You don't understand do you?" Hide asked, as if he were talking to a small child. "I'm like this because of you..." He let that sink in. "Because I had to keep on protecting you, because you didn't care enough to do the same for me... Because you had to think with your **dick**... Because I chose to befriend you. Now I have to suffer." He paused, narrowing his eyes. "I knew it from the day that you came back to school. When Nishiki attacked me. You fought him, I heard that commotion, but you also almost ate me. I heard you say something about me being your friend and that you should be the one to eat me. Honestly I should have cut all tie with you there... But I had to be the good friend, right? After all one of us had too... Back when you got taken by Aogiri, I was the one who called the CCG and sent them to the hide-out. I was trying to save you. But, once again I had to be punished fro helping you. I was taken from the payphone and turned into this..." His then motioned to himself, "**This **is all your fault. So Don't you think it's a little late for you not to hurt me?"

Kaneki frowned, feeling tears beginning to form in his eye's. It seemed, no matter how hard he tried, he was always a burden to someone in some way. "I-I'm sorry" he stuttered, looking him in the eye. Then he smiled, tilting his head as a single tear slid down his left eye. "You must... You must hate me don't you?"

Hide simply remained glaring at him, tightening his fists. "Well, that's just fine... Because I hate myself more."

Hide then gritted his teeth together hard, he was apparently done talking. reeling back his fist, Hide prepared to continue his assault.

However, quickly, Kaneki released his Kagune, this time forcing much more RC cells into the tentacles than last time. He then wrapped the arms around Hide and tossed him against the wall hard. The force wasn't enough to kill Hide, but it was enough to tear through the metal wall and send Hide into the next room. Kaneki followed

Stepping through the hole, The half ghoul found himself in a large, open room, even more-so than the last one. In the center was a large machine that stretched all the way up to the roof and at the base was a single container.

It was then that Kaneki noticed the two people near the control center of the machine. One person he missed and the other he hoped never to see again. To the left, looking down at the scene before her, apologies hidden in her mint eye's, was Eto. To the right was doctor Kanou, a friendly smile gracing old lips... Just like when Kaneki had first seen him at the hospital- he looked old and young at the same time.

The doctor then raised a single wrinkled hand and began to greet them. "Oh, hello there Kaneki. How long has it been hmmm?"

Kaneki didn't respond, he just kept looking at them. Then a sound drew his attention to the base of the device- a sound like something hitting glass. There- in the container- was Rize. She was bare to the world, Naked, the only thing blocking her more sensual areas to any onlookers was her long purple hair that covered her breast as it hung, and her tilted body angle. She looked up at Kaneki, blood dripping down from wide, horrified eyes... It was at that moment that, for whatever reason, Kaneki felt powerless... He had no idea why.

Then the doctor continued his speech, redirecting Kaneki's attention back to him. "But, you've caught me at a bad time... You see... I'm about to have to leave."

* * *

**YAY! After many late nights, studying I have finally had enough time to finish this chapter- AND I'M REALLY HAPPY WITH HOW IT TURNED OUT! PLEASE REVIEW!**


	29. Part 4

Once again Shachi narrowly missed the giant, meaty Kakuja arms that extended out towards him. His shoulder began to throb, still baring and open,but slowly healing, which blood so eagerly spurted out of, trailing down his arm and dripping off his fingertips. He would've put his free hand to it, but he needed it to be able to provide a good offense. Truth be told- the SS rated Orca was not very skilled when it came to kagune based combat- he preferred to use his fist in a fight as it seemed more practical to him. Exposing Ones Kagune, as strong as they were, also made one over confident and could lead to their eventual downfall.

Jason was losing his mind, or at least he felt like he was. He felt like he was watching the fight that was ensuing through some other person's eyes. Like he was wearing a mask. _Why is she here!? _He screamed inside his mind, as he watched the two arms that had formed over his own thrash around at the long-haired man in front of him, whom of which he'd already landed a hit on.

He was fast, and it made whatever was controlling Yakumo's body fucking mad.

_It's not my fault! _He argued with himself. He knew it was a lie. _It was Yamori! He made me do it! _He exclaimed, blaming his other personality for actions he was responsible for in the past. _I don't want her to see me again! Not like this! It **HURTS**! _The now raving Yakumo spat, anger and sadness making his voice quiver, as well as his lower lip, creating wrinkles at his metaphysical chin.

Then his view was removed, replaced with complete blackness. Yakumo could only guess as to what was going on outside of his head now... He was certain Yamori had taken over.

Yakumo felt a sudden rush of despair after that. He was alone, afraid, and sad inside the darkness of his own shattering mind. Then, he fell to his metaphysical knee's, touching an invisible floor. The area he was in now was black. Strangely enough though, he could see his own physical form just fine. His suit was a sharp contrast to the darkness of the world and his blonde hair also shown vibrantly against it.

None of which he was particularly interested in.

"It's not my fault..." He whimpered, grabbing his head tightly and closing his eye's. "I didn't mean it... **she **didn't deserve it... She didn't do anything wrong... BUT I COULDN"T HELP HER!" He continued to argue, not sure if he believed it or not. "I WANTED TO!... I didn't want her to hate me..." He sniveled, letting his arms fall limply to his side.

Then, he felt a soft, gentle touch caress his cheek, sending a bit of euphoric nostalgia into him. "I don't hate you, Yakumo..."

Yakumo's body was now that of a child. One with black hair and a scrawny body... Himself as a child. The contrast was stark. Who could have guessed that such a scrawny brat could get so large? But it didn't really matter anymore...

He then leaned into the woman... his mother. His head resting against her chest softly as he wept. "I'm sorry momma..." he chocked out, "I didn't mean to let you die..."

His mothers black hair then fell over his own face, caressing his nose gently as she comforted her son, dragging her finger slowly over his forehead and then pulling out a nail that he just now realized was in his forehead. In fact, they were all over his body... But he didn't feel them... He had a euphoric eeling when they were removed, but he never felt pain...

"I know you didn't..." She replied, with a calming, relaxing voice.

Yakumo felt like he was becoming more and more tired as he felt her remove the nails from his arms, his chest, his stomach, his legs... They were gently, and carefully removed...

"I love you momma... I miss you..." He said as he felt his eye's grow heavy...

And as he pulled out the last nail, she replied, "I love you too..."

* * *

Shachi had remained still for a while. The kakuja who had rendered his right arm practically useless and had kept him running for a godd 15 minuets now had abruptly stopped moving. Of course, the obvious answer was the hand that Shachi had rushed through the mans heart as he rushed him, but the martial artist was never one to be to confident in anything... But this time he could be.

As the armor-like Kagune began to fade he could feel the mans body weight plummet onto his arm. Sighing, Shachi gently lowered the large man down to the floor, laying him down gently in a show of respect. He had lost, but at least he had died fighting.

It was almost poetic, because he could have sworn, as he looked in the eye's of the man who had fallen to his hand, he could almost see a bit of happiness... but some regret.

* * *

**I know, I know, It's been a while, but I have been under the weather and busy lately so I haven't had much time to work on this. And I realize that It's short. But I felt Yakumo's death would be overshadowed by what I had originally intended to go into this chapter. Mostly, I just wanted you to know that I'm not giving up on this story, I just have to get somethings together.**


	30. Glimpse of the Centipede

Rize looked at Kaneki almost as if she had recognized or remembered him. She didn't though, he knew that much. Her eye's, along with blood, were filled with an empty look that seemed reminiscent of an intrigued toddler. What had once been bright, intelligent, purple eye's were now empty, dark, and confused. She must have been here a while, judging by the state she was in. Of course she appeared to have been cleaned, fed(barely so), and cared for(again barely so), but you could tell by her far away gaze that she'd been denied any semblance of real freedom probably since the night of the accident.

Seeing her like this. Rize, whom he had used as his source of strength when he fought. Truth be told, subconsciously, he enjoyed, even if it was a feint satisfaction, his time with Rize in his own head. She had been, as odd as the analogy was, an older sister figure for him... Yes, like an older sister who taunted him incessantly, but therefore he was better off for it... She was as much as reason for his strength as his want to protect Anteiku, Touka, Banjou, Hinami, Koma, Irimi... Eto. Seeing her like this... He felt like he'd lost all his strength.

There were a million things he could have said at that moment, but all he could muster out was "M-Miss Rize?" In a monotone voice that still, somehow, conveyed the shock that was hidden in it.

Just above her, Kanou smirked to himself over Kaneki's revelations. _First his friend Nagachika had turned on him, now he find's out Rize is alive, I wonder how he will develop from here on? _The mad doctor pondered to himself. From what he has been able to deduce from his intense study of the ghoul species- it seemed to him that when under severe mental or physical stress, or just emotional instability a ghouls Kagune is given somewhat of an adrenaline shot. There had been many records of mother ghouls, who had been seemingly exhausted from vicious wounds, using their Kagune, which they had no logical right to, to make a final push for their children. _But, _Kanou inferred, _Since the Kakuhou was originally foreign to Kaneki's body will he react similarly or does it rely on logical rues such as: Physical condition, RC cell count, Dietary..?_

Kanou sighed to himself in a minor annoyance. It was a shame, but he couldn't see it for himself, they had to leave soon. They were just waiting on the rest of their group...

Eto found herself in whirlwind of emotions, none of which were her face betrayed. Confusion, intrigue, empathy, sympathy, but most of all there was sadness. She had been surprised she hadn't figured it out sooner, but it seemed that Kaneki's college friend... well not anymore... Was the other half-ghoul. She could only imagine what impact this had on poor Kaneki... Eto then realized, it was a bit of an inappropriate thought to have at the time, but it was then that she realized that she had it pegged from the beginning. Her making him think she never cared about him, that he was some game to her. His friend turning on him for whatever reason. His determination, despite what the author had told him to get her back... Kaneki's life was a tragedy. What's worse was that she could do nothing about it... _Dammit._

"Nagachika!" the doctor called in a friendly tone, raising up a hand, "What are you doing on the floor? Get over here- don't be rude to Kaneki." He then paused, smirking a bit to himself, "After all, he's the reason you're a half-ghoul now."

The fun made at his own expense did not go unnoticed by Hide as he used a single arm to push himself up, the other preoccupied with his ribs, badly bruised during his encounter with a wall. The orange haired boy narrowed his eye's slightly at the doctor, but didn't bother to look at Kaneki at all as he straightened his back and began to make his way back towards the doctor.

Ken didn't stop him, if he even noticed him at all. It seemed that he was still in shock from this revelation.

Kanou then looked towards Eto, curious as to her opinion about all this. From what he had gathered when he had been spying on them during their battle with Aogiri to rescue the albino haired boy the two of them had grown close. It was understandable, after all she was probably the only other person, at the time, that knew what it was like to be a half-breed and vice versa... Still with all that information known to him, it didn't register until just then- when he saw the Owl's grip at her slightly pregnancy inflated tummy.

Kanou smirked to himself and then looked at her face. She was paying no attention to him, but he knew she would hear him. "It's his isn't it..."

As he expected, she didn't give him a response, her lips just tightened a bit and she tried her best to act like she didn't hear him. It's not like he needed her confirmation on the matter, he knew damn well who's it was, anyone with a brain(who knew she was pregnant) knew who's it was... But it was still hard not to kill him for the way he said it. Like their child, a product of heir intimacy, was nothing more than a science project.

"Eto..." Kaneki then spoke, looking at her, raising her from her own thoughts. She wondered if he had just now noticed she was there? Or if he had noticed the whole time. the way he said it made her feel so... shitty. In his voice there was only confusion and sadness. It was a question, one she didn't know, but she knew what she didn't want him to ask. But one thing she had to make sure of was that he didn't figure out she was carrying their child.

But the question never came. She could tell he wanted to ask her, but he wasn't sure he wanted to hear her response. She wanted it to be kept that way. Maybe it was what happened last time, maybe it was the less than emotion filled face that she had on now, hoping to discourage the half-ghoul from trying to "save" her, but she could tell it was what kept him from asking what he was going to ask... He had simply said "Eto". But in someways that was more words that enough.

Then, from behind Kaneki, came the sound of footsteps... However, the party he had wanted to arrive had failed to do so... Instead it was the rest of Hide's new allies. The two girls, and the big man with the mustache and his long hair. However, there was a large wound in his shoulder, still pumping out fresh blood, indicating that there was at least a fight, as well as someone wounds on the girls... But that didn't quell Kaneki's now swirling rage.

"Y-you..." he began, his lips trembling in fear, "What happened to them?" It was a low, almost pathetic tone, one that the large man whom he directed it to seemed not to hear. In fact, he seemed more preoccupied with the girl in the tank, Rize. It was a scowl, that he had on his face. But Kaneki didn't particularly care about what quarrel he had with the binge eater at the moment. He wanted to know.

"What happened to them!?" He now demanded, gaining the man's eye's wandering towards him.

He was big, and he, to anyone else, would have demanded immediate respect. Even Yakumo gave him that a bit earlier... But Kaneki wasn't fazed at all. "Watch who you talk to boy..." The large man replied, wrinkling his nose in disgust at him, "The only reason I'm not attacking you now is because the doctor hasn't ordered me too..."

Kanou smirked at that, happy he had at least some control over his bodyguard. And at the fact the Owl seemed to be getting worried and antsy herself.

"You... **killed **them... didn't you..?" he mumbled to himself, more so than him as his eye's grew wide in sadness and his mouth parted slightly.

_No, just the big one._ Thought Shachi, as he watched the boy, but he wasn't about to back down. "And If I did?"

The boy's reply was simple and straight forward... In the form of one of his Kagune appendages bursting forth to hit Shachi in his head, just barely missing. Still though, as the martial artist leaned away with skill he couldn't help but fell the force behind the red tentacle. There was no mistaking it, the boy was the strongest of the group.

Shachi then dashed far back, distancing himself from the white-haired boy, whom had just fallen to his knees in what was more than likely despair at the thought of his friends dying and his deep-red Kagune twisting all around him in a fluid manner... But something was wrong with them... It was no secret to Orca that Rize's Kagune had been implanted into this boy... but this wasn't her Kagune... This was different... completely. There were four, which should be the norm, but they were deformed, lazily shaped... But they looked harder than ever, having sharp, tiny legs jutting out form the body in a messy way... But as shapeless as it was, Orca couldn't help but to be reminded of a centipede.

The the boy looked up, face covered in a dark-red mask, made from Kagune material, with a strange center Kakugan twitching wildly.

Schachi Frowned, winkling the skin on his forehead as a result of doing so. It didn't take a genius to figure out that the boy was a, or at least becoming, A kakuja. Maybe, if he had the ability to move his arm from the shoulder down properly, then he could put up a fight, but, at the moment that wasn't the case. He doubted the twins could either... Maybe the OWL could, but his orders from Aogiri stood firm: Kanou was not to be harmed. He wasn't going to risk it.

Kanou watched in amusement as he saw the One-Eye'd-Owl twitch forward in a slight bit of desperation. It was funny, and kind of sweet, he decided. That something as vicious and as strong as the One-Eye'd-Owl could have any form of sympathy for another being. If he understood correctly, it could be heard laughing at times when it disemboweled investigators... In ways The Owl was disappointing... But more so intriguing. Still, as much as he admired her, he wasn't going to let her interfere with Kaneki's transformation.

"Don't you dare go." he warned, "Unless you really don't care for the safety of your little coffee shop..?"

He saw her stiffen, frown in anger slightly, then rest.

However, as she did so, he looked back just in time to see shachi use his speed to get to Kanou quickly and grab him by the waist, pulling him against his will, followed quickly by Kurona and Nashiro. "What are you doing?" he demanded, dumb founded , as he struggled to get a glimpse of Kaneki, who was now writhing on the floor as the mask began to stretch over his face, undergoing his transformation.

"We are leaving." Shachi replied, pressing a small, green button on the computer that Kanou had previously stood above, on the containment chamber. The monitor flashed black and white and then displayed a warning that read: ALL PODS UNLOCKED. _That should keep him busy while we escape... _

"Damn You!" Kanou shouted at the hulking ghoul who held him firmly, while he struggled to break free. "A-at least grab Rize, I still need her for more experimentation.!" He ordered, not uite frantically, but clearly upset. "There's no time..." He replied, offhandedly, somewhat annoyed at the doctor.

Eto could hear the arguments from Kanou, but she didn't care for them, not as she watched Kaneki twisting around on the floor, losing his mind, mumbling something to himself. She could barely hear it, but it sounded something like... Arguing? He was trying to convince someone of something... Himself probably... God, she wanted to hold him, and tell him it was all right. But, she knew Shachi wouldn't hesitate to leave her behind. And if she wasn't back at the base in Okinawa...

So they left, Kaneki... Rize... and those... **Things **that Eto had just noticed were coming out of the pods. They were like chunks of raw meat but with a humanoid physic somewhat. It was disgusting... But it was no secret what they were... Failed experiments.

* * *

They were hurrying along now, following the nurse as she rushed to wherever the hell they were going. Touka was anxious, so very anxious. What had happened with Yamori and the group that had attacked them Earlier? What of Kaneki? Did something happen to him? God she hoped not... After all he'd been through and all he wanted was to keep Eto in his life... He deserved nothing more than happiness...

Though, her questions were answered soon enough when They arrived into a new room, this one big, circular, and covered in blood...

Most horrifying of all though... At the center, Eating some strange meat from his pale-white hand's while his now strangely deformed Kagune wiggled about around him, Was Kaneki... growling, and smacking his lips together...

They were silent for a time... Until finally Shuu spoke up. "M-Monsieur Kaneki?"

He turned quickly to them quickly, revealing a face that was almost completely covered in a black substance that strongly resembled a kagune. In fact Touka was certain that it was the exact same material as one. It covered his face from the left to the center, where, in the center, twitched a gross, wild-looking kagune. It was like looking at a monster... It was funny... maybe for the first time Touka knew what it was like for a human to see a ghoul in it's true form... She was frozen in place, something that was not easy to do.

Kaneki hadn't stopped chewing on the meat as he kept his insane gaze on them, his head twitching every now and again... They were careful not to move... any of them. They didn't know why, it's not like a ghouls vision was movement based, but he hadn't seemed to be too aggravated when they remained still.

Then, however, for whatever reason, Touka decided to go to him. It wasn't voluntary, nor was conscious, but she started to move. Her footsteps were very careful, almost creeping along a miniature obstacle course as she made her way to him, moving gently, almost hypnotically. She was sweating beads. She didn't know if Kaneki even knew who she was or if he had any reason left in his mind, but that didn't stop her advance.

Then, when she arrived to him, she gently placed a hand on his exposed cheek and looked at him in the right eye- which she just now realized was completely whited out in a haze of hunger. He was twitching under her palm, clearly trying to keep himself from lunging her and eating her, she could tell that much... She'd been in situations like that with Yoriko before... When she refused to eat due to her own stubbornness.

Touka licked her lips once in a nervous manner and then she spoke in a shaky- scared voice. "K-kaneki... It's us... Touka, Tsukiyama, Banjou... all of us..." she nodded as she spoke, "You're fine now... I don't know what happened up until this point but... You don't have to fight anymore, Ken..."

Then Kaneki became suddenly still under her hand, like a doll. He remained like this for several minutes(which felt like hours) until he finally reacted. "M-mother..?" he asked simply then, abruptly, the mask slid off of his face forming a puddle at the floor and Touka found herself holding a sleeping Kaneki.

There was a collective sigh of relief as the group all felt their hearts begin to pump again... Touka especially as she lowered Kaneki down slowly unto the floor, careful not to get him even more- bloody than he already was.

Then, she stood up and began to examine the room around them... There were body parts littering the area, most chewed up. Then Touka frowned, realizing it must have been Kaneki who ate them all. Kaneki, who was now sleeping like a child after playing too long, had killed this many people... and made this much of a mess. In some sick-twisted way, she almost felt proud of him... almost...

The nurse then spoke up now, leaning against Banjou's figure for support after almost losing balance from fear, clearing her voice. "R-" she paused and swallowed, "Rize should still be in the center container... All these remains are of failed experimentation..."

Banjou then moved, almost causing her to fall when he did, but she was quickly caught by the female of the group.

He starred at Rize through the glass. In any other case he would have been redder than a cherry seeing her like this. Naked. But now he felt only sadness. True, she was a glutton, she had killed many ghouls, and even threatened to kill him, but in the end he still admired her... That's why it made him happy that he could at least say he was going to help get her out of this place.

"All-right, let's get her out of this thing then..."


	31. It's The World's Fault, Not Yours

They were both angry... Ayato could tell that. But, he also knew neither of them wanted to be viewed as weal. So, as he and the other lieutenants of Aogiri tree watched the two men bicker in a very quiet manner that one could have mistaken for a simple conversation, he began to look at Tatara. Truth be told, with his experience in the group, Ayato had picked up on some of the albino ghouls characteristics... One of which being his eye's. Though they never seemed to change, whenever he was even slightly upset they would wrinkle just a bit as he slightly narrowed them. Another was his head placement. This trait was pretty standard, but somewhat hard to see considering his high collar. When annoyed, he would place his head higher than normal, as to look down on the thing that irritated him... Right now though, aside from the slight bobbing of the mask as he spoke, he was still.

"Of course... If the martial artist, Shachi, I believe was his name," the doctor began, explaining the reasons as to why they had to leave the laboratory- mentioning the Orca ghoul by name, whom of which simply leaned against the wall at the back arms folded over a bare chest looking on indifferent as the rest- "Had not been so hasty then we could have escaped with research data... and Rize."

Tatara looked over, with eye's only, too Shachi who looked back with a look that simply read "I was only following your orders." as he began to reply. "And the nurse, Taguchi, what of her?"

Ayato then gained interest at that, as far as he knew, the nurse was gone. She was the only thing standing between the coffee shop that he once called home and the wrath of the CCG, but she was also the one that could trigger it. Her absence meant that Anteiku was safe that... those human loving idiots were safe... It was a comforting thought, but it begged the question. Why was Eto still here? She wasn't stupid, and she was allowed free roam through the hideout- not like anyone could stop her- so why did she stay? More importantly, he wanted her gone, because he couldn't stand looking at her. He didn't hate her, he just didn't want to see her sad looking eye's when he was around.

"She's gone." he stated calmly, "Whether she was killed, or she's still there, I don't know."

Tatara's Eye's wrinkled and he began to stand, slightly tightening his hands into balls. "So, were without a base for experimentation, a laboratory, or even leverage..." He then turned to look at the Owl, who had been watching from above through a a crack in the floor above, not hiding herself, just so quiet that no one really realized she was there. She looked bored, defeated kind of, something very out of place for her, as she brought her knee's to her face ans watched, green hair messy and unkempt as it flowed down her back.

"That begs the question, why are you still here?" He asked her. She didn't reply, simply looked down at him, a little surprised, probably that he didn't know yet.

The doctor then chuckled chuckled a bit to himself. "'No leverage'?" he asked, bringing up a finger, "I wouldn't say that..." The way he spoke was riddled with such a smug aura that even Ayato got a little pissed.

"What are you talking about?" The leader of the group asked him, voice calm, but with a hint of curiosity.

"Our leverage is no longer Anteiku... But it's a much closer asset." He paused, pointing to the Owl who watched over them... "And it lies in the Owls womb."

Ayato felt suddenly very cold, very cold and afraid. Afraid for Eto. He felt sweat begin to form, his hands grow a little numb, and his ears turn hot. He was scared, scared for his adoptive older sister, the one he had never been able to beat in a fight before... For once it felt like **she **was completely powerless. Now of course, Eto could beat any of the ghouls here one on one mostly with no problem... But, with an entire army like Aogiri, she was likely to take a few hits... And more than likely... if she were hit in the wrong area a miscarriage would occur. They all knew it.

However, Ayato noticed that he wasn't the only one who had looked over to her, a new member, an orange haired guy, that same age as Kaneki(whom Ayato assumed was the father) had taken a somewhat surprised look as well... But, Ayato wasn't so sure about this guy... he'd seemed to be kind of air headed ever since he got here. Not stupid, but distracted. Now, Ayato didn't know the guy, but that was only testament to how out of it he was... He was so much so that even a complete stranger could see it... It was clear something was bothering him. He wouldn't care to be paired with that one...

"And, of course," Kanou began again, gaining everyone's attention once more, "I never said that I couldn't perform the surgery without Rize... But, it's going to be a bit different now..." He began to explain. "You see, and this is but a theory, that a kakuhou, when transplanted, needs a certain type of body to be transfered into, and even then it's never guaranteed to work. But, Rize's Kagune seems to be compatible with more petite body types. Example are Kaneki, Kuro, Shiro, Hideyoshi, and the Binge eater herself... All I need is medical equiptment, and an assistant with a particularly sharp and precise Kagune... along with some humans and ghouls of course... But those are in no short supply..."

He then smiled a kind smile. "So, you see, in the end it was but a minor setback."

* * *

"Eat..." Renji spoke to the girl, as he, Touka, and Hinami all watched her in the brake room. That girl was Rize. It had been around 3 days since they had free'd her from Kanou's laboratory and they had been feeding her non-stop since. Of course, in Touka's opinion, she hardly deserved it, the glutton that she was, but it was better than having a raving mad, starving ghoul in the goddamn basement wasn't it? Yeah, it was.

"Don't have to tell me twice..." The binge eater muttered to herself, slightly annoyed, but still thankful(not that she would show it), as she took another finger and hngrily dropped it down her throat. It was funny to say, considering her appetite, but Rize had never been so happy to eat before in her entire life. She was fed only weekly in Kanou's care, and even then it was maybe a toe... she'd lost her mind. That was too little for any ghoul, most of all her. But, in the end, getting back what she had lost also gave back her sanity... though she had only just returned back to normal yesterday. She smiled to herself.

"What's so funny?" Touka asked, almost spat, the binge eater as she folded her arms over her chest.

"Oh, nothing..." Rize replied, "I just find it kind of funny that Anteiku of all groups is nursing me back to health... It makes me feel wanted."

Touka gave a slightly annoyed look at her. _Wanted..._ she mentally scoffed, _Every man in the damn ward **wanted **her. _

Then, the door to the brake room opened and in stepped in a man with a strange goatee and slick backed brown hair. His jacket was wet with a rain that Touka just now realized was pouring down outside and in his hands was a box of coffee beans. _Speaking of people who want her._ Touka thought to herself as she turned to Banjou and motioned towards the closet in the corner. "Just set them over there." she told him as he obediently did as he was told, taking careful trouble to not look at Rize, probably for fear of getting red in the face. "Thank's Banjou."

"Banjou?" Rize asked, looking over too him, past Yomo's shoulder as he began to exit the room, hoping to not be noticed. "Kazui?" she asked, placing a finger to a slight bloody bottom lip, "Or was it Kazuisu?"

Banjou then exited the room, clearly flustered at her mentioning his name at all.

Touka then scowled at her. "His name is Kazuichi..." She informed her, narrowing her one visible eye.

"Oh yes, that was it..." She replied already uninterested as she ate another finger.

"I shouldn't need to tell you that..." Touka muttered to her as she watched her eat.

"Oh, and why's that? Why should I have to remember his name? I mean, he's always been so annoying... Always following me around, everywhere I go, trying to give me gifts trying to read with me... So annoying." She chimed, eating another finger.

"He cares about you. That's why." Touka told her, a little angry now. She was mad, mad because that's exactly how Kaneki **used **to be. He used to be annoying, awkward,he would follow you around like a duckling... and she missed that...

"And?" Rize questioned again, "It's not like I need him to. It's not like expect him to. He's under no obligation."

"That's exactly why you should at least remember his name." Touka argued, "He didn't have to help us, but he did, he even carried you out of the laboratory..."

"How nice of him..." Rize replied dryly.

That made Touka pissed, but she shrugged, there was really no point to talking to someone like her, she cared only about herself.

"One day, Rize, he's going to stop caring about you, and even though you don't want to admit it, and probably don't believe it now, you're going to miss having him follow you around."

Rize ate another finger then giggled to herself, "I'll keep it in mind..."

There was another silence then, as Rize continued her meal eating happily while a small, television blared the news in the background, breaking the silence in a somewhat pleasant and soothing way.

Then a new voice broke the silence. "Uh- ah... Ms. Rize?" Hinami began, shyly, in a quiet voice that fit well with her small frame.

"Hmmm?" She asked, not in a rude way, but a distracted, happy one.

"How is your hair so pretty?" Hinami asked, pointing at the purple locks that flowed down her back and were carefully tucked behind her ears. "It's so big and full... And it's so long... I like it."

Rize found herself almost awestruck. She had never been complimented quite like that before. Of course there were the men that would say kind things to get into her pants and what not(most of which she would eat) but they never really meant it, what they really meant was "Hey, I love your tits." Which was a pretty nice compliment too, but it wasn't quite the same.

"I-it's naturally like this... I suppose. It would look better if I had a proper bath, but what can you do?"

Hinami nodded. "I wish my hair was as long and pretty as yours... My mom's was but I have my fathers hair. I guess that's what big brother first saw in you, huh? Before you tried to eat him."

Rize nodded. She didn't really know exactly how to respond. She wasn't quite sure why, but she felt happy... She's never been good with compliments, but she gave it her best shot. "T-thank you... Your mother must be a very pretty woman." She smiled, quite awkwardly then.

"Y-yeah."

Then a voice called for her downstairs, Irimi's, and she obeyed, leaving the other three ghouls alone at the top.

"Big brother?"

"She means Kaneki..." Touka spoke, looking back at the door.

Rize then tilted her head to one side, the left to be precise, slightly, but enough for her hair to flow down just a bit as she looked at her food on the table. Almost entirely devoured. "Mr. Kaneki, huh?" She spoke to herself a little softly, almost curious... Almost. "He's still alive?" Rize was surprised, she didn't remember much that night, aside from chasing Kaneki, slamming rather, the bookworm into a construction sight and then being smashed beneath metal pillars just as s he was about to eat Kaneki... Honestly she hadn't expected him to live.

"Yeah..." Touka spoke a little disgusted by her questions. They weren't particularly meant to strike a cord with her but they did for whatever reason.

Then, as if he was waiting for the cue, in stepped the white aired boy, his messy hair waving a little bit as the door opened as closed behind him. He was wearing that familiar blue jacket that he always seemed to wear, along with those black jeans and his sneakers. It was funny, they almost looked out of place on him now. But, Touka guessed that was more of a sad thing.

"Oh..." The waitress said, surprised at the sudden intrusion, "You're back."

She was surprised, not at his appearance but the reason he'd taken a short absence those days ago. At first it seemed he was upset about not being able to speak to Eto, or maybe it was about his friend Hide... But, strangely enough, it was about Yakumo. Kaneki and Yakumo's relationship, on the surface at least, never got past the acquaintance level, but forever reason Kaneki seemed to blame himself for his one time captors death. Maybe it was sympathy(unlikely), maybe it was a gratitude for his help, but Kaneki did at least acknowledge his death and that made Touka somewhat happy. Why she couldn't really say.

"Yeah, I just needed some rest." He then looked over to Rize, who now looked at him with a slight interest. It was almost scary, how quickly she got back to looking like her normal self, rather than just some crazed, starving, woman. She hadn't even known her own name when they'd brought her back... At least, that's what Touka had told him. Kaneki had slept for a whole day after the events at the laboratory. It was yesterday though, after Eto didn't return like the nurse, Taguchi, who had turned on the doctor and helped Touka and the others find Rize, had said she probably would, that they had come up with a new plan to get her back... And, if Kaneki did say so himself, it was a pretty dangerous one... But that was the norm lately.

"If you don't mind," he began, now looking at Yomo as well, "I'd like to speak to Rize alone..."

Touka understood, it was a simple request, and an understandable one. After all, it was Rize who had been the catalyst for Kaneki's sudden thrust into the life of a ghoul. He had a right to talk to her at least.

Yomo simply nodded in reply and began, along with Touka, to exit.

Rize waited until Kaneki had sat on the other couch parallel to her and let himself get situated. "Oh, wow Mr. Kaneki." She coed, "You're hairs gone all white... Did you die it?"

The question had caught Kaneki off guard, for whatever reason he had envisioned her knowing everything that had transpired since that night... But then, **that **Rize was only his own mental manifestation of the girl who sat before him now.

"Rize..." He began. "Do you remember what Kanou was doing to you in that laboratory?"

Her face went from one of intrigue to one of a slight annoyance, like she was somewhat angry with him. "Oh, I see, you too then, huh?" She then sighed. "Oh well, I was hoping I would get to actually **eat **you this time... But I guess that ship has sailed..."

"Yeah..." He agreed, surprised at how well she was dealing with all this, that her Kakuhou had been whored out to anyone that Kanou wished. "You aren't upset?"

"HAH!" she laughed abruptly, "**NOT** upset? Come now Kaneki, did I really seem the forgiving type to you? OF course I'm upset. That filthy human bastard used me to make monsters and freaks- no offense- so that's why my answer is yes."

"'Yes'?" he repeated a little confused.

"Well, it's not more of an answer, you never had a choice to begin with, I'm going to help you get him for the pain he's caused the both of us." she paused, "Of course... there's just one thing I wan't to ask... How's it been Kaneki? How has life been for you lately, hmm?" Her tone taking a more teasing feel now. "I wonder, do you hate me? Or do you understand now? What it's like for us? Of course, I, like others, do enjoy the killing, but do you understand what it's like for these fine people, here at Anteiku?"

Kaneki waited for a bit to answer her, still slightly unsure what to say to the girl, he hadn't expected this, not at all... He never thought Rize would give a damn about him. "... I never hated you, Rize. At first I just thought you were doing it for food, which you were, but I think I know why you're like this... Such a sadist..."

"Oh?" she coed once more, "And how's that?"

"Over the time of your absence, I've come to realize that no matter what race you are, there is a reason for you being the way you are... The Kaneki you knew was weak because he had been raised to be submissive, but the world has changed me and now I can hardly recognize myself sometimes... I think that at some point you were different, but maybe the constant fear of being chased down had changed you, or maybe it was the starvation that got to you... but everyone in the world who can be viewed as evil has ended up that way for reasons beyond their control... Be it a bad home environment, trauma, or torture... No ones ever entirely evil."

Rize was then silent, looking at Kaneki up and down with a bit of surprise. "Maybe..." She simply stated, smirking.

* * *

Eto found herself once again waking up, holding the old, gray pillow close to herself as she tried to simulate herself holding Kaneki once again... But it never quite did the trick. Eto was alone every night... _Well, that's not exactly true... _ She smiled lightly to herself as she gently placed a hand over a now slightly swollen stomach. But, now more than ever with the child in her womb she felt scared, terrified, more than ever. One wrong move, even a possible over straining of her body and she'd miscarry. That was probably the most terrifying thing.

It was funny, she thought, Eto never truly imagined herself to ever be the motherly type, but it changes whenever you actually have one she supposed. She hadn't truly met this child at all but she knew she loved it everything about it. It was both her and Kaneki. But, what scared her now was the idea of how the child would grow. Fatherless? Would it end up being how she was so many years ago? That was a scary thought... But it's not like she could escape... Even inside her kakuja, with the risk being minimal, she still couldn't take the chance of taking a hit in the wrong place. She knew that Tatara would make sure she didn't leave unscathed, and now that her secret was out...

Then the door creaked open and she moved her eye's to meet her new guest, only realizing when she did that she must have been crying.

To her surprise, but pleasure actually, it was Ayato. Touka's little brother whoom of which had so adamantly wanted to stay away from her. She knew he felt guilty, and she knew that he felt like she was mad at him.

"So..." he began, placing his hands in his pockets, "Is it that Kaneki guys?"

"What?" Eto asked, a little confused. He hadn't seen her for years and that was his first question to her? She almost laughed.

"The kid... Is he Kaneki's?"

"Oh, yeah." She replied. "What are you doing here, Ayato? You seemed so bent on not making contact with me."

He didn't reply.

"It's because you feel guilty isn't it? You think I'm upset with you? You think we are mad at you for leaving... We were never mad at you, Ayato. None of us, not even Touka. But, it's only now that I get what you were trying to accomplish."

He then looked back at her and frowned. "What are you talking about? I left because I wanted to... I didn't need to be around weak asses like you!"

"Ayato..." Eto said smirking, "Look who you're talking to. You're calling the One-Eye'd-Owl weak? Now you're just acting like a brat..." She said, victoriously, trying to make him feel a little embarrassed. "But, yes... I do know why you're doing this there's no need to hide it. Tatara probably knows too... Even though our circumstances are different we both are doing this to protect the ones we care about aren't we? To protect Anteiku."

There was another silence then, as he stared at her with a defeated look. "Am I really that transparent?" he asked, almost laughing.

Eto chuckled a light chuckle at him then a beckoned him closer in a friendly manner. "It's hard isn't it?" She asked him, "Trying to make them hate you, to make them leave you, just so you can keep them safe? But all you really want to do is see them isn't it? It's a never ending cycle of internal pain. You keep hoping that one day you can see them one more time, but then at the same time you hope to never have to again... Just so you don't have to see their hurt faces when you make them hate you?"

Ayato nodded simply and kept himself still... Eto could tell he was biting his lip, keeping a small whimper at bay.

"Well then, you should get some sleep then, Ayato... Good night."

* * *

Later that night, Eto found herself laughing... in the midst of crying. It was funny to her that while Ayato was the one who biting his lip, she was the one who was crying out of them. But it felt good to cry... for her at least, it reminded her that she still cared and that she hadn't given up. She never would. She then brought her hands to her stomach.

"Sorry..." she said through a shaky voice, "I know you shouldn't have to feel me cry..."


	32. You'd be surprised

Amon, as calm, orderly, and professional as he was, could not quite focus on anything today... He was distracted no doubt about it... But, then who wouldn't be? It had started out as any other end of the work day for him. In the end it was Shinohara's fault, he supposed... For spurring him unto do this.

* * *

Amon began to flick his hands, hoping to rid them of the water that clung to them ever so stubbornly. The tall investigator recalled a simpler time when there were no air dryers in every bathroom. They really weren't that great if he had any say in it. Sure, they were impressive way back when, when they first started popping up, but they hardly did their job, **Drying **his hands, they just moved the water. Koutarou, for one, much preferred paper towels to those machines.

As he exited the restroom, or began to rather, he ended up meeting with, in an informal way, Shinohara, who, due to his immense size almost knocked Amon over. Luckily for Amon, the man was quick enough to grab and balance Amon from falling over.

"Oh, Amon." Shinohara spoke, only just now realizing **who **he had just stopped from falling on his ass. "You should be more careful than that. In fact, you usually **are **more graceful than this. Is something wrong?"

Amon was surprised by the question, so much so he almost laughed. How did this go from them bumping into one another to Amon's own mental health check up? But, now that he though about it. This wasn't the first time in the last month or so that Amon found himself being less than all there. He found himself day dreaming, losing time every now and then. Nothing major... but the last time he was off his game like this... Well... Everybody knew what happened.

But yes, now that the idea was on his mind there was something wrong. Amon had never addressed his social problems before. He simply allowed them to pass as time went on. But, he never let anything interfering with his work go by unnoticed... It was Mado, she was insubordination. Actually, that wasn't quite it. She was to eager, _If that's how I should put it..._ He added mentally. She would go and do things without running them by him first. Now, normally, he didn't care too much about social standing among the office... but this, whether it was intentional or not, was disrespectful.

"Actually," began Amon. "It's Akira, she seems to be too liberal in her work."

"And that's a bad thing?" Shinohara raised an eyebrow and folded his arms in amusement.

"No, it's just... She's not very respectful... She seems to think that I'm an inadequate investigator."

"Does she, or do you?" Shinohara asked. "Amon, I realize that ever since Kureo died you've been a bit too reclusive about taking risks, especially with Akira. I understand how you feel. You feel responsible for his death because you couldn't help him and you're afraid of her dying too... But, don't try to keep her leashed. You and Kureo got along because you both put your job first. But, Akira, apart from intelligence, isn't exactly like her father. She also has a social life, even if it's a very restricted one. Take her out to eat, show her you are friendly, and maybe she'll warm up to you."

Amon was afraid he would say something like that. On top of being quite anti-social, Amon was, despite being tall, well built, and handsome, shy around women. Not that he wanted anything other than a platonic relationship with Akira. No, he was scared that she'd get the wrong idea about him.

"I don't think that's-"

"Amon. Listen to me. How many partners do you think I have had?" He began. "I'm telling you working with others ends up in disaster if you don't have a friendly relationship. Why do you think Iwa and I work so well together?"

Amon let out a defeated huff and lowered his head slightly. As much as he hated the idea, Shinohara had a point. Then with a slight nod he agreed.

"Good then. Now, if you wouldn't mind, I have to take a piss."

* * *

Akira pushed a lose strand of hair behind her ear, keeping it out of her eye's as she worked on her report for the day. But, there was hardly any work that was done. Just reports of ghouls throughout the ward. One was even a dog growling that an old woman had mistaken for being a ghoul chowing down on someone. Mado almost laughed when she got their, but she kept her composure.

Their target was the binge eater, but whether it was even alive or not was still a question... She'd much rather focus on the rabbit. But, that was obvious to anyone at the office. But, she also know the reason they wouldn't allow her to. Sighing, she glanced at her wrist to her watch. _7:33..._ she mused to herself. _I should probably get something to eat when I get off at eight... Or I'll eat after nine again._

Then, the familiar sound of door hinges squeaking forced her eye's away from her desktop and towards the door. She frowned, but then, she didn't really know who she should have expected. Maybe Juuzou? Seidou even, but not her superior. Recently, their partnership had been strictly business. Not that she didn't want that. That's the only type of familiarity she wanted with Koutarou Amon.

Recently though, he had been very disheveled. He was slow, slacking, and he'd shown up into the office with his normally kempt hair all over the place. It made her wonder, was it really the Rabbit's fault her father had died? Or was it just that Amon was not as good an investigator that they say he is.

"Akira." He spoke, breaking her from herself induced trance.

"Yes?" She noticed he'd bristled at the informal nature of the way she said that. But she was certain that she'd gone over the waste of time it is to use honorifics hadn't she? Yes, she was certain she had.

"I was wondering, since you've been working so hard" he made up a reason, as to not give her the wrong idea, "Why don't we get dinner after work?"

In all honesty, it was perfect timing. Today was their day shift, she got off an hour before nine, and she had already decided she should eat... It was troublesome though, that her superior, who she wasn't entirely sure was a capable investigator, had offered to pay for her... But, in the end, it was free food, right?

"I don't see why not." She forced a smile at him.

* * *

Somewhere along the line seidou was dragged into dinner with them. Amon didn't mind though, after all the pay for a First-Class investigator was nothing to scoff at, and it wasn't like they were going to eat anywhere particularly high dollar. It was after all, just the twentieth ward, there wasn't really anything too special about it.

Now though, after his two guests had gotten themselves properly intoxicated, they had reduced their social skills to those of three year olds, spitting insults at one another as Amon slurped down noodles. The affect of alcohol was so clear, in fact, that a sheen of red covered their faces. Amon almost laughed. He for one never drank alcohol, he had once, and he could honestly say he doesn't miss the taste.

As the night ran on, Seidou had been called back to the office, leaving just him and a still quite intoxicated Akira, who now laid her blonde head onto the wooden counter. She was quiet as well, Koutarou found himself wondering if she was sleeping. The only signs she gave of any form of consciousness was the slit between her eyelids that revealed her pink eye's.

It was an eerie silence that fell over the two of them. Over the whole restaurant really. Nothing but the sound of glasses hitting wooden tables and chop sticks scrapping the bottoms of porcelain bowls.

Then she finally spoke.

"I hate you, you know?" The way she said it was cold, but almost like it was part of off hand conversation. Amon wasn't too bothered by it though, he guessed as much. "Because of your inability to do your job my father was murdered... But you got to live... Was it just luck? It was to my understanding that you both fought ghouls. The eyepatch let you live. I guess he's sympathetic." She paused, then began to shut her eye's slowly. "I wish it could have been different..." then she was out like a light.

Amon had taken her home that night, practically giving her a piggy back ride to her apartment and laid her to bed. He was about to make his way back to his own home when she'd stopped him. He was scared at first, as she wrapped her arms around him in rather seductive manner... But in the end, it wasn't her doing it. At least not for him. She was begging for her father.

Koutarou didn't know why exactly, but he was motivated, that night to exercise. Why hadn't he done it at his own home? Even he wasn't quite sure. But, he'd done so even until her waking moments.

She was upset at first. But, in a comedic way, she ended up making him breakfast.

Which led to now.

* * *

Amon, as calm, orderly, and professional as he was, could not quite focus on anything today... He was distracted no doubt about it... But, then who wouldn't be? It had started out as any other end of the work day for him. In the end it was Shinohara's fault, he supposed... For spurring him unto do this.

The first-class investigator sat on his knees, hands folded formally onto his thighs as he sat, embaressed in front of the traditional Japanese coffee table in Akira's dining room. He felt increasingly uncomfortable in his damp suit, his sweat leaving an odor that he hoped only he could notice. If it wouldn't be so rude, he would leave at this moment, but it **would be** rude.

"Koutarou Amon." She began, bringing out a plate with a piece of toast, eggs, and bacon on it. A weird choice, considering that this was japan, but in all honesty it Koutarou didn't mind. "Commended in the academy for ghoul investigators. High marks and exceptional combat ability. Promoted to Investigator First-class by the age of 26, the youngest aside from Kishou Arima." She set the plate down in front of him. "And a perverted man who like to exercise in his sleeping subordinates apartment." She smiled at the end.

He was about to defend himself, even though he knew she was joking, when a sudden beeping noise rang out in unison from the both of them. It was their work phones. Normally these were only called when they had failed to show up to work, or when something important was happening. You weren't necessarily supposed to pick it up, just get to the office as soon as you were able to get there. Amons heart began to race, the last time this happened was around half a year ago... and the entirety of the CCG remembered how literally that came crashing down on them.

Akira on the other hand was already dawning her suit, making herself nice and presentable for work. Amon almost wanted to laugh, She didn't quite get it, if this was what Amon thought it was then they'd be changing pretty soon.

* * *

**Moments earlier.**

Touka watched as the nurse exited the building. To be honest Touka, being as close to it as she currently was, was feeling more than just a bit on edge. They were right outside the 20th wards CCG office. Though, they weren't too close, but still Touka could hardly keep her legs from shaking. She sat on an ordinary brown bench surrounded by various plants potted around it. Making the building seem like a safe haven. In Touka's case it was anything but.

Touka glanced at the manager and Kaneki. They both seemed calm, too calm. That pissed her off immensely, Not so much that they seemed unfazed, but rather that she was so shaken. Touka hated feeling powerless in any kind of situation. She should be as calm as they were. Still, she was just glad the others weren't here to see her, they'd been sent to Okinawa ahead of time to scout it out. Kaneki wanted to join them, but Yoshimura thought it best to keep him here... He knew just as well as anyone that Kaneki wasn't the most patient in the world at the moment. He was afraid he'd rush in. In the end Kaneki listened because it was Eto's father, it was a given that he was just as eager as the white-haired boy.

Taguchi appeared before them then, distracting Touka from her two companions. She kept a straight face, as she looked down at them and kept her voice low, not a whisper, but just low enough to pass as a quiet conversation. "It's done..."

"They believed you?" Yoshimura asked, still keeping a straight face.

Taguchi shrugged, "You'll find out by tonight when you see CCG forced moving up into the building. I'll find out if it comes on the news."

Touka narrowed her eyes. "I know I've said it before, but still: How do we know that you didn't just give us up?"

Taguchi looked at her. It was an understanding look, one that she held a lot. They'd, at least the girl and the old man, had been hunted their entire life, they had a right to be a little uneasy. Then Taguchi smiled. "Kanou is a crazy bastard, but if there's anything that I still agree with him about it's how the world is. We agree for different reasons, him because he wants to eliminate both humans and ghouls and create one race, me because I don't think killing ghouls just because of what they are is right."

Touka looked up at her, and she almost wanted to laugh. Not in mocking, but in happiness. It was people like this that reminded her that living like she did now was better than how she would've if she'd left with Ayato... And they were examples to show Ayato what humans could be.

Then Youshimura groaned and stood up. "Well then, miss Taguchi, Thank you, but this is where we part ways. Take care." He smiled.

Taguchi simply smiled back.

* * *

Tatara walked down the halls of the old building, which towered above most of the others in the area,seemingly as if he were a ghost. This image was amplified by that white cloak that he favored so much. His white hair only added to this look as he made his way around. Aogiri had become, in the time since the incident in the 13th ward, more and more powerful. There was Himself, though he hardly counted himself as an asset in terms of strength to Aogiri. Of course he was among the stronger ones of the executives, but he found himself as the brains. There was Orca, There was Ayato, The Bin brothers, and of course the Owl.

She was without a doubt the strongest one there, but at the same time completely at their mercy. All because she wasn't the monster he thought she was. The Owl, who made the entire commission of counter ghoul quake in their boots at her name. The one who had, though failed, hit them at the heart of their organization. Maybe at one point in her life she was the monster that everyone thought she was. Not now though.

_Speaking of the Owl. _He mused to himself as he found himself at her door... And if he wasn't mistaken... he could hear, humming? It was a tune, some Japanese song that he didn't know. Being from China he didn't know very many of these songs, aside the ones he heard on the radio, or whatever he heard Ayato listening to. But, it was cause of concern. She hardly spoke ever since being brought here.

Tatara opened the door, not bothering to announce himself as he entered.

There he saw the author, sitting at the edge of a balcony, behind the bars, gripping them tightly in an excited manner. Her humming continued as if she didn't hear him enter and watched out the door. At first, Tatara thought she was looking at the crashing waves against the shore at night again. She did that often. Like a caged bird. Or an Owl. But her head was angled a bit further down at the shore.

"What's piqued your interest?" He asked her, remaining still.

He hadn't expected her to answer and almost jumped when she did. That made him angry. "Why don't you come take a look?" she hummed to him.

Tatara obeyed, a little uneasy now. She was acting a little too cheery. Had she just lost it? Or was she just trying to piss him off? In the end either or it didn't particularly matter did it? She wouldn't dare lift a finger against him, not if she valued the life of her child.

The Chinaman peered over the edge and his eye's grew wider. CCG carriers were pilling up in front of the building and there appeared to be almost no end to them.

"That's-"

"Impossible?" Eto finished, now standing behind him. "You'd be surprised how determined Kaneki can be when he wants to."

He turned and found a surprisingly strong, small hand gripping his throat. It was like steel, he couldn't pry it away from his neck. Then she pressed him against the steel bars bending them in the process and making him face the ground.

"You... were dissapointed weren't you?" she asked, "When I wasn't the sadist you were hoping for? Well, I'm going to show you just how much of a sadist I can be."

"You won't hurt me." he told her, "Not if you want that child to live. Kill me, and all of Aogiri will be after you."

"Not very bright are you?" she coed. "Or maybe it's denial? Whatever the case, Aogiri will be more than preoccupied with the CCG. I don't think they'll question a few screams. Do you?"

* * *

**SORRY FOR SUCH A LONG WAIT AGAIN. But at the moment I'm really busy... Again... So I can really only write whenever I have free time. But, still, like before, don't worry, I have NOT given up on this story at all.**


	33. Funnel Cloud

Taguchi had kept true to her word, thankfully. Kaneki, Tsukiyama, Nishiki, Touka, Yomo, Everyone. Even Koma had come around this time. But, that was because they weren't about to fight Aogiri, and possibly the CCG, alone. If they fought anyone at all that is.

The plan was, to get Eto out of there. Now, there was no doubt in any of their minds that she was probably going to try to get her self out of there. Still though, there had to be assurance. Anteiku, while small in number in comparison to Aogiri, made up for it in strength and skill. But, that wasn't **Touka's **only goal. Somewhere in there, she hoped and dreaded for at the same time, was her baby brother.

Ayato, no doubt was a brat, he wasn't like them. The rest of Anteiku. He hated humans, he never once acquainted them with a swift death or a tasty treat. Touka used to be the same. Then she began, at the Yoshimura's(and Eto's) behest, going to school. There she met Yoriko. Yes, while it was a pain in the ass to stomach the aspiring chefs food, which tasted worse than regular man-made food, she enjoyed spending time with her. That's when their thoughts diverged. Whenever Touka stopped looking at humans as food or as threats.

Of course she didn't stop killing humans. When she was starving or when she was in trouble she had to kill. But Ayato wasn't like that. He wouldn't take food given to him by the manager. It was easier, it didn't involve dirtying his hands. But he didn't take it, he wouldn't. Of course he wouldn't go as far to kill someone in their ward, but he would cause trouble. Even so, Touka blamed herself.

She'd become a friend to humans, as much as she could being what she was. And because of that Ayato felt alone. So he left.

Touka then looked over to Kaneki, whom of which had taken a seat next to her as they overlooked the apartments complex. It was big, she could see how it could hide away the entirety of Aogiri. But, at this second, that wasn't important. What **was **important was infiltrating it. Currently moving in on it was suicide. Apart from the many Aogiri members among the hallways of the complex there was also the looming shadow of the CCG surrounding it.

This attempt at a rescue, in all reality, was suicide as well. They were going to wait until the CCG had moved in on the building to make their attack. It was stupid truly, but a lot less so than attacking now, when every CCG investigator had their gun trained on anything in or around the building. Move in during the confusion, that was the idea. Of course, the safest way to do that was also the most dangerous. They would have to separate. Tsukiyama, Koma, Nishiki, Yomo, Enji, Irimi, the manager, Rize they would have to separate to make sure they weren't taken down as a group. Banjou and the others would stay with Hinami.

Then, Touka looked over to Rize. The binge eating woman was calmly sitting at the very tip of the hill they waited on, reading a book. One of Eto's books. "Monochrome of Rainbows" Touka believed it to be, judging by cover, which she could barely make out in the darkness. The only give away was the splash of colors on the cover. She had her own agenda as well. Kanou. And for once, Touka smiled, she had a legitimate reason to make someone suffer. After being confined and starved for as long as she had been she deserved to get some form of retribution. She also had her mask at her hip, resting lightly on grass next to her. Her mask was a fairly appropriates one, it was a pitch white, woman faced mask with red lips that were reminiscent of blood. It was definitely made just for her.

Then it came, the cracking sound of gunfire that rung through the otherwise peaceful air like a chiming bell. They all shifted their head, even Rize, who had seemed so entranced in her book, set it down to take a look. Sure enough it was emanating from the building and the forces of extermination around it. Now all they had to do was wait for the breach.

* * *

_Of course_, Amon noted, _just like last time they're armed._ Amon wasn't so much mad about that as the fact that he didn't currently have a weapon. He couldn't help, all he could do is wait behind the APC until they could breach. The first-class investigator then turned to look at Akira, who appeared to be similarly annoyed, clenching the grip of her quinque tightly, agitated.

Then, a low buzz sounded through his headset, on an open channel. "Hey," Shinohara sounded into anyone who was listenings ears, "I wish Marude brought his bike this time. Then Juuzou could get in there."

There was a flow of laughter then, resonating over the communications, Amon's own included. Then another buzz sounded and a low, annoyed, old voice, the voice of Marude, sounded. "Shut up..."

Then even more laughter sounded. Akira on the other hand did not laugh, she simply looked at Amon with a confused look on her face. "What's so funny?" She asked him, slightly annoyed that she didn't understand the humor.

Amon was about to explain to her, but then he just sighed. "I'll explain it after were done here..."

Akira looked at him with even more annoyed face until, after a long pause, she finally smiled at him and nodded her head. "Fine." And he noticed her grip loosen slightly.

* * *

Eto could hear the gunfire now, but it didn't bother her, not yet at least. She smiled a sadistic grin as she moved the grip of her hand from Tatara's neck to the face. She almost giggled when he released a breath gasping for air. It was hoarse and sharp and she could swear she heard him whimper. That made her so happy. She bet that he wished he hadn't had that mask on. It was primal really. This insatiable lust for revenge that she had as she began her punishment of the white-haired ghoul.

"Why are you complaining?" she coed, childishly, "Isn't this what you wanted?"

Tatara didn't reply, instead he tried to get at least to his knees. He was either he was too proud or he was far too out of it due to lack of oxygen. Either way Eto didn't care, this wasn't going to be a lecture, this was going to be punishment. She giggled a little more, taunting him. "Didn't you want the "Owwwwwllllll" she drew out the last word, rocking on her feat.

Then, as Tatara got to one knee on the ground, she pushed down on his head, pushing him back down to the ground and cracking the concrete beneath him. "Well you got her." She smiled as she then released her grip on his head and punched into his gut. Eto's strength, even without her Kakuja shell, was uncontested. Tatara was about to feel that force in his gut.

She hit, and she could swear she felt her knuckles touch the ground behind him, without breaking the skin. It made her release an airy chuckle as she watched Tataras eye's expand in surprise and in pain simultaneously. Then, from behind his mask, blood spurted out like a fountain, some sticking to her face, most of it covering his own, staining his bleach white hair red and dampening it.

Eto then licked a splatter that landed near her mouth and frowned in annoyance and disgust. She'd tasted better. "You're blood is so bitter..." She murmured, but loud enough so that Tatara could hear her. "You're annoying even when you're helpless..." She said as she wiped the blood from her mouth and removed her fist from his stomach. "But, at least now you understand right? How it feels to be captive?"

"But, if there is any form of complement I can give it's that you're pretty smart." She said, as she towered over him triumphant as he wheezed beneath her in labored, tired, forced breaths that only barely escaped his mouth. But she failed to notice that red tail that was creeping out from beneath his coat as it snaked it's way past her legs and began to rise. But he would have to muster every single bit of strength he had to use it.

"You were smart enough to render me powerless without the use of physical force. Using my own compassion for the people I care about against me. Smart enough not to try and take me by force. Because you know you would've died." She continued seemingly unaware of Tatara's plan.

"But it was never going to work. It never does. As sad as it is, every little terrorist group, every time ghouls make an organization it always crumbles. Either due to in fighting or due the CCG" she then got down closer to him, "It all falls down..." she taunted as she placed a foot at Tataras exposed neck and began to apply pressure, giving him precious little space for air to pass through his wind pipe.

Then the door behind them opened up and in stepped a squad of Aogiri uniform clad ghouls. Judging by the surprise in their voice as they questioned what was going on when they saw their leader being dominated on the floor, Tatara didn't call for them. Eto simply smiled as her Ukaku shards pierced them through and pinned them through the wall.

Yes, she knew about how sadistic she was being, how utterly inhumane she was. But, all the same, she'd be lying if she said she wasn't enjoying herself. It'd been a while since she'd felt this free, she planned on savoring it.

That said, it still pissed her off at how unfazed he seemed at his subordinates death. They died worried about him and he was only concerned with himself. But, what could she expect from someone like him. Using her family as a bargaining tool and then her child? Why had she had her hopes up?

"You didn't care, did you?" She asked, more to herself than him and wasn't surprised when she felt his hands wrap around her ankle in an attempt to pry her leg from his throat as she applied more and more pressure.

Tatara was losing consciousness as the Owl continued to torture him slowly. When it began he was expecting punches, kicks, very physical torture like this, except he had hoped it'd be quick. He pushed his bikaku out a bit further, just enough to be able to bend it a little more. It was funny to him, because she was right. He **hoped **she would be as sadistic as she was now. He got his wish, just not when she wanted.

_It's too bad for you that I'm still going to take one more thing from you... _He mentally taunted as he continued to inch his kagune out more and more. Then he thrust it at her back, he had aimed it perfectly. It was going to pass straight through her womb and kill that little mix inside her. She'd live, but at least he could still take that from her.

But, in the end, he guessed he messed up again, in thinking that she didn't know about it. She'd caught it, with one big, bone-colored arm that almost dwarfed Tatara's body, she'd caught his Bikaku.

"You tried to kill them..." She said, placing her actual arm on a swollen tummy. He could see the anger in her eye's as she looked at it and then she smiled. "Well, an eye for an eye, don't you think?" She spoke, childishly with a smile.

Tatara didn't even have time to think about what she'd said before he felt a crushing weight on his groin.

Eto didn't laugh aloud whenever she crushed his manhood beneath her foot, the smirk on her face was more than enough to show her happiness. "Oh, my..." she spoke playfully, "I don't think it'll grow back."

Tatara was now violently jerking on the floor, he hadn't made a sound, but Eto could tell how much pain he was in by the look in his eyes. One of hate, despair, and utter helplessness.

"You know." she began, stepping off his now obliterated groin and stepping back a little as red glow began to envelop her, the process of her kakuja enveloping her completely. "I could kill you now... But I think you deserve a worse fate than that. I'm going to leave you here, you'll be found and turned into a quinque by the CCG." she paused once more, letting the kakuja envelop her entirely.

"I think that's a more fitting fate..." her voice was now, deep and distorted by what was practically a suit of armor "Don't you?"

* * *

**(Authors Note)**

**GOD, I KNOW, I KNOW. THIS IS A SHORT CHAPTER. But at least I got it out. And that brings me to something else. I'm going to start making my chapters only as long as necessary from now on. And that means getting out what I want to get out without having to rely on the "Ah yes, Kuzco's posion. The poison for Kuzco. The poison made specifically for Kuzco." way of writing that I sometimes make myself do. That, in some cases, may mean shorter chapter, but it also means more updates.**


	34. Come and find me

There's always a certain silence before a major event. A certain feeling that everyone in the radius of that major event can feel before it happens. It's almost like somethings are supposed to happen. There's a certain feeling at certain times that something is destined to happen. It was always going to happen. The breaching of Aogiri's new base was one of these things.

It was like a thunder, when that charge that was placed near the most unguarded in the entire facility. It housed spare quinque metal. ensuring that it could tare through anything and everything that it met. It tore through that concrete wall, and whatever unlucky ghouls that were hiding stuck behind it like a finger through wet toilet paper, leaving behind only tattered flesh and broken bones.

Of course, there was no celebration afterwards, that was just part one of it all. They still had to get their people on the inside. But, the obstacle there was the ghouls that would no doubt rush to the guard the break... Either way though, it was like a ship, a hole, if left unplugged, would make the whole thing go down. It was only a matter of time now...

_But it would take too long... _Yoshimura decided as already he saw the swarming of ghouls, no doubt Ukaku, at the newly made entrance. _The CCG would be picked apart as they made their way to it. _

A gust of wind blew on the top of the hill and Yoshimura found his coat flapping slightly to it, revelaing just his feet a little more than it would had it not been blown. When his coat fell back to it's original state, Irimi and Koma had joined at his side. They were starkly contrasted, he noted. Irimi clad in black leather that hid in the night like a snakw did in the grass and Koma who's fur coat made him look bigger than he was, but was testament to his strength. But, as different as they were, the same question ran in their minds.

Irimi was the first to speak, "I've seen that look before..." She spoke with a smile and an apathetic voice that hid concern. "Are you going to give them a hand?"

Koma simply looked on to him, similar expression on his face, expecting the same answer.

"I am." He spoke with a smile, hiding his worry. He did that often. It doesn't particularly matter how strong, old, or experienced you are. When dealing with the CCG, there's always a certain fear. Well, for anyone sane at least. "I'll have to act as quick as I can though. I don't want them to take my arms again."

Yoshimra then looked down back to the mass of troops. It had appeared they had already lost an infiltration team and were sending in another. But that was not what he was looking for.

"I wonder if he's here..." Yoshimura spoke aloud. "Special class Arima, if so, then this may prove more difficult than I had hoped."

Koma then shifted his head down towards the mass of Investigators surrounding the building amnd sucked in a breath. "Who knows? But, I'd think if he was they'd send him in first." He paused. "Still they're expecting the Owl, so I imagine he's on his way, ya' know." He then looked back at the old Owl. "So, you better get it done quick."

* * *

Koma was wrong though, down in the crowd there was a single head of white hair.

Arima stood firm on the ground the zero squad in formation behind him. Arima was only to move in when things got, and they most definitely would, out of hand. Or until the Owl appeared.

He watched as they sent in infiltration team after infiltration team, all for them to be ripped to bloody ribbons. He didn't respond to it, however, physically or mentally. He'd seen much worse than this. Minami had done in victims in a much worse fashion than this. But that had never bothered him either.

Slowly, in front of his face, a white puff appeared before his face, slowly descending in a gentle way, catching his eyes as it made it's way down.

Arima held his hand out and let it rest into his hands, watching as it sat gently. Snow. It was almost fitting. Of course it was still in the colder months of the year, but he didn't think it was going to snow today. Still, it was fitting. a sudden change in the weather, for a sudden change in many lives. Many of these CCG investigators would not be making it back today. They'd leave behind families. Others would be rendered paralyzed, paraplegic, brain dead, but still alive. Fighting ghouls, as heroic as the media made it seem, was the same as a war. It was ugly and there was always going to be casualties.

Suddenly a crackle over the radio brought Arima's finger to his left ear. "Alright Arima, let's send you in there."

Arima's grip on Narukami tightened and he took a step forward. But stopped as he took noticed of, in the air above them, a descending figure. They were cloaked, giving them somewhat of a divine look. It hadn't taken long either, for the rest of the CCG to take notice, as it landed, hard, 20 ft or so from the entrance.

Arima had recognized them right away. It was him. He was early but it was him.

The size, those huge blades that seemed to be giant great swords attached to muscle. The mask, with one eye seemingly scratched off and the other one, big and red. The One-eye'd Owl. He'd come.

Then it was Yoshitoki who came on the line. "Do not engage the Owl, I repeat, do not agitate him... Arima, only advance if he shows aggression. We don't need to lose anymore CCG than we have to."

There was an eerie silence that now set over the battleground now as the SSS-rated ghoul rose to his full height and glanced around.

Then, suddenly, and very curiously, he unloaded a fury of ukaku shards, that seemed to appear magically from underneath his long, coat and into the breached area, making the hole even wider all the way. It was impressive for his age. They didn't have an exact age on the Owl, but they imagined, from the little bits of skin they could see, that he was an older man. That scared the CCG like nothing else. Who knows what he could've done at a younger age?

However, it hadn't last long as quickly enough The Owl returned to a more statue like pose. Blood seemed to pool out from the opening in the complex, like an eerie scene from a horror movie. Then the Owl spoke.

"Come and find me..." He said, his voice almost machine-like as he ominously made his way through the hole in the wall.

Then silence... That was just like the Owl, or at least what they knew of him._ A sadist, he killed off his own subjects, What a truly terrible king. Still, in the land of the blind the one eye'd man is king._

A buzz over the radio channel. "...You heard him..."

* * *

Eto had left Tatara there, broken, beaten, humiliated, in a pool of his own blood, which was more than likely now crusting around him. She hadn't felt like this since she was a child. This rush of rage and utter joy at the same time. It was The one-eye'd Owl breaking through. And it scared her.

But, now was most definitely not the time for fear, especially not when she was so close to getting out of here... In fact, she could leave right now. But, she still had things to do. There were so many things she had to fix before she could have her own happy ending.

That's why, now, she was standing before Hide, whom of which she'd cornered. Not in a violent way, but in a gentle way. Technically, when she thought about all this, the fact that any of these people, Kaneki, Hide, the twins, all of them were half-ghouls because of her existence. This was only right...

Eto had left her Owl form sometime back, exchanging it for a less obvious cloaked form at the moment. No doubt she'd need it again, but until then, this would do. She sat, crisscrossed and supporting her back with her arms. "Geez..." She said, looking Hide in the eye's. "You and Kaneki... You sure are troublesome sometimes, huh?" it was playful, not scornful the way she talked to him.

He frowned, "What?"

"So, why exactly are you two having this little spat?" she continued, ignoring Hide. "You seemed to be best friends, and now, you're throwing each other through walls... literally."

Hide paused. Was she going to lecture him? Why would she try to?

"He's the reason I'm like this..." Hide replied, almost wavering in his resolve for some reason.

"Nope, you're wrong there..." Eto sighed, "Ya see, I'm the reason you're like this. If I had never been born, then no one would have to become a half ghoul... So, it was my existence that caused you pain. If you need to be mad at anyone be mad at me..."

"You're wrong. I didn't have to be a half ghoul... I was the one who called in the CCG way back when at Aogiri's old hideout. It was his fault, because I had to save him... That Kanou turned me into a ghoul." The resolve was still there, but shaken. Eto wasn't entirely sure he even believed what he was saying anymore. He just didn't want to admit that he was wrong in what he was doing.

She sighed once more, "Well, I did what I came to do... I just hope that you don't try to do what you wan't to do... Because if you do, will you still like who you are? Or will you realized that you are fighting the person who was always with you?" She paused. "That's a terrible thing to lose don't you think?"

With that, Eto left, leaving the other half-ghoul to himself.

* * *

Touka stood at the top of the hill, watching the CCG forces piling in... well, the infiltration team at least. But, before that, she'd seen something that she'd never lain eye's on before. The manager being remotely violent. And honestly, her legs were shaking.

Then she felt a strong hand fall on her shoulder and she turned, to see Yomo, mask on and ready. Behind him the others, including Rize, were in a similar state. "Next is our turn..." He said.

Touka tightened her grip on her mask and exhaled a shaky breath. Fear was normal in a situation like this. She was stepping into a snake den. But, she wasn't just doing this for Eto. Ayato was in there somewhere and if she didn't get him out, he was going to die. And, God, That she couldn't take. As much shit as he put her through, them **all **through. She'd hate herself for the rest of her life if he died when she could have prevented it.

"Let's go..."


	35. Rabbits Don't Always Die Of Loneliness

It was one of the most nerve-racking things Touka had ever done in her life. Sneaking past all those investigators and finally into the building. But she'd done it. Only now though... She was by herself. Kaneki had gone in first, at a different entryway, but he'd gone in first. Touka was scared at first, and more than expected to hear gunshots emanating from where he entered. But they never came... To be fair, neither Aogiri, nor the CCG for that matter, were expecting a break in at the moment.

Rize, Irimi, Koma, and Tsukiyama had gone in before her, not necessarily in that order, but that didn't really matter all that much. As long as she had friends on the inside. Yomo had been following close behind her, making sure she was safe when she got in, but she speculated he found a way of his own in. She had been lucky, There had been no CCG or guards waiting for her when she entered(or they just hadn't noticed) so she was safe for now. Now was the hard part. Finding her baby brother.

* * *

Amon Swung his Quinque, lobbing off some of the ghouls heads as he did so and pushing their lifeless corpses to the side. Underneath his helmet he could feel his hair getting damp. It was the anxiety. This situation was dangerous. These were close, confined, corridors, easy pickings for Ukaku ghouls and it gave Koukaku ghouls extra armor for protecting themselves. This was not ideal at all. To make matters worse the Owl had appeared. He was in here somewhere.

Then, to his left, he caught view of a blonde head of hair lurching forward, bringing down a whip which split in two an attacking ghoul. _Akira..._ Koutarou thought to himself, concerned. _Ever since the Owl had appeared... She's been becoming more and more violent. But there is also some excitement in her movements. Maybe it's a trait of the Mado family. But, she feels the same way whenever someone mention rabbit... I wonder if the Owl took something from them too?_

And with that thought he parry away a kagune and Mado pressed the shorter- dagger like edge of her quinque into the ghoul. He gasped, the sound choking was evident as the blood began to well up in his throat, and then he fell over dead, or dying.

But, Amon for one, hoped that Arima and the Zero squad would encounter the ghoul. He was not necessarily afraid, but he knew that he and Akira alone were no match for that strong of a foe. In fact, the way that The archives had described him, the owl was described like an unstoppable force. Not God, Or the Devil, but a force of nature. Kishou Arima however was more than that. He was like- like an angel of death... True to his name. Which, in all honesty, was somewhat of a contrast. Death was normally associated with black. But if Arima had been assigned a color, it would be white. And he was the only person that could stand alone against the Owl. Only something divine could stop a force of nature.

Then, from their front. Two blue Kagune stretched out from the black abyss ahead of them, and crossed in mid-air. Instinctively, Koutarou grabs Akira and pushes her behind him, taking her our of harms way. The first Kagune misses, just barely, but it misses. thanks to his leap out of they way. Next, before the second Kagune could touch him, he separated the large Quinque into two and used his left arm to block the snake-like appendage. Koutarou wastes no time after that and attempts to severe off a part of it. This time he was the one that just barely missed, as the kagune was quickly retracted. _Dammit!_

Footsteps echoed now and slowly, ominously, two purple cloaked figures slowly appeared from the darkness now.

"It must be fate, don't you think so Bin?" One asked the other. Amon couldn't tell which as the masks covered their mouths.

"Yeah, must be, huh?" The other agreed. "That we would actually get to fight him this time. Aren't you excited Bin?"

It hadn't taken Amon to long to figure out. It was the Bin brothers. A few months ago, during the Aogiri raid, they were almost opponents, but they never got to start up that match. Still, it was two on one, and Koutarou had much less breathing room in here. Individually the Bin brothers were A-rank at best, small timers for Amon, but together, they were no doubt S-rated.

Then, as if a reminder he was **not **alone, Akira stepped next to him, almost in front, gripping her quinque in a battle ready position. Amon couldn't help but smile.

* * *

It'd been about 5 minuets since Touka had begun the task of finding Ayato that Touka had come to realize that she was trying to find a needle in a haystack. Only the "hay" was in the form of Ghouls and Humans. Both of which wanted to kill her.

As a result, Touka was being cautious not to make to much noise as she sneaked about the halls and made her way around. Still though, she hadn't a clue what she was going to do when she found Ayato. He was fairly adamant about not coming back to Anteiku. Actually, that was a lie. She knew, oh she knew. She'd have to fight him. But, could she **beat **him? As much as Touka liked to flaunt about her strength, she wasn't too confident when it came to Ayato.

Then, the sound of clashing Kagune sounded like thunder in the complex once more, but this time is was close. Too close for Touka's liking. Every nerve in Touka's body told her to turn and run, get away from the danger. She was frozen then, as she was crouched next to a corner that led into another hallway, The sounds of battle continuing. There was only one thing that kept her from getting away. The fact that it could be Ayato...

Then, Touka stuck her head out into the hallway to inspect the situation.

* * *

Koutarou once again batted away a blue, red-vained, Kagune, The force of which slightly pushed him back without moving his feet. Just as he thought the battle wasn't going as expected. He and Akira were at a disadvantage. They had hardly any breathing room and they couldn't maneuver at all. The Bin brothers were using that to their advantage. They were keeping close, but not so much that either investigator could get a hit in. They were stuck.

Akira didn't seem to falter at that, she, in fact, was pushing hard against her Bin. Who seemed to be doing much worse than his brother. His body language was frantic, in fact it looked like he was struggling to keep his strategy going. That was one perk of having a lighter quinque, Amon supposed, There wasn't much stopping you in terms of weight and speed.

Then, during his momentary observation of Akira's progress, Amon felt a sharp, stinging pain, piercing his right side. He had been careless and had underestimated his opponent enough to shift his focus. Now he was paying the price.

Akira watched as her superior was pierced through. It was slow motion. She saw him stagger, the blood spurt out like a water fountain, and then she saw him drop, with trembling hands, his two quinques. The ghoul released him and Amon began to stagger back, clutching at invisible stabilizers trying to keep himself up.

Akira had to act fast. She pushed hard against the Bin brother, making him stumble back and rushed over to Amon.

She caught him before he fell, supporting him and letting him fall on her arms. "Koutarou!" she called out, hoping he would respond... He did, but not in the way she'd hoped. It was a violent, blood filled cough. He was sweating, and the blood from his mouth had fountained onto his hair, making it stick stubbornly to his forehead. At least he was breathing... But they were alone and now it was two on one... Akira couldn't take them both on...

* * *

Touka didn't understand why she had stayed to watch. She could tell right away that Ayato was no here, not in **this **fight. Still, for whatever reason, she stayed to watch. Perhaps it was the primal need in sentient beings to watch violence, despite whether or not they were disgusted by it. Still, again, whatever the reason she watched.

Maybe it was that woman... Her smell, the way she flung that quinque of hers, it was all so familiar. Touka then sucked in a breath and realized that, the entire time she had been watching she had forgotten to breath. As she watched the blonde inch away, one arm towards the two, the other holding up the rapidly-losing-blood investigator, Touka gripped the corner of the wall and almost rushed out to stop them... Again, she didn't know why, for what reason... She felt that- that she had an obligation help.

But what could she do? There were two. From what she'd seen she could take either of them on alone. But together they would be a problem.

Then a hand gripped her shoulder and pulled her back into the hallway she was in quickly.

Touka was then pushed against the wall, a hand reached under her white rabbit mask and covering her mouth, muffling her protests. It was a familiar scent and she recognized who it was right away. The smell that was so familiar to her own. Ayato.

"Touka." He spoke, his voice slightly muffles behind his own rabbit mask. "What are you doing here?"

Though, Unbeknownst to her baby brother, he still had his hand on her mouth, muffling her. Touka didn't know if he noticed or not though, but instead of trying to speak through his hand like a moron, she decided to get rid of it. Quickly, she bit the skin of his hand, making him hiss slightly in pain and pull back.

"Dammit!" He whispered "What the hell!?" He then began to turn over his hand to see blood trickling from it.

Then, he found himself taken off guard again. But, it wasn't a bad feeling. He found himself in a warm embrace being held tightly against his older sister as she squeezed him close.

Ayato smiled then, it had been so long since he'd been hugged by Touka. He was about to return the affection when he felt a fist rammed into his stomach. He coughed, spittle spewing from his mouth as he fell to one knee and clutched his stomach. Touka had punched the air out of his lungs, and he was struggling to breath.

"That's for almost breaking my Jaw a couple months back!" She told him, returning to her normal constant mood. "Anyways, I'm here for you... and Eto. But, the others are getting her."

Ayato frowned. "It's not that simple... I'm afraid."

Touka raised a brow(unseen behind her mask). "What do you mean?"

"As long as the executives of Aogiri are still around, there is still an Aogiri... They'll keep coming for her no matter what. We'd have to get rid of them But, I've been looking for them. I can't find Tatara, I mean, he's stronger than me, but I hope hasn't left the complex, Shachi has taken off, but he was never quite devoted to Aogiri anyways, and the Bin brothers are-"

"Closer than you think... I think?" Touka finished for him.

"What?"

Touka then motioned with her head for Ayato to look over the corner. "That's them, right?" she asked, looking over with him.

Ayato nodded. "Yeah, that's them... This is perfect. They're distracted with those two humans."

Touka looked to him. "What do you want to do?"

"What I intended to before..." He replied.

"Right... With both of together, they shouldn't be much of a problem."

* * *

Akira was standing over Amon now, who was slowly losing consciousness. The Bin's had apparently decided to play with her during her last moments, as they tauntingly danced there way towards her, taking their sweet time. Akira wasn't scared... Not for herself at least. She just didn't want to go down without a fight, but she couldn't bring herself to leave Koutarou's side.

"Oh my Bin..." one spook in that eerie voice of his, "She looks kind of mad, doesn't she?"

"Yeah... well, she won't be feeling anything soon-" The voice stopped abruptly, and with good reason. Suddenly, from the darkness, red shard had lodged itself into one of their chests.

"What?" He said, disbelief somewhat evident in his voice.

Then Akira watched as two, small, Ukaku ghouls leaped over her and Koutarou, towards the Bin brothers. Most notable though were the rabbit masked that they adorned. Honestly, what happened after that wasn't much of a fight... Since they couldn't work together, the Bin brothers were significantly less powerful and honestly neither of the brothers was match for their opponent. In the end, it was a slaughter.

But that didn't affect Mado at all... The only thing that she could think about is that there were two rabbits.

For whatever reason. After the rabbits had killed the Bin brothers, they let her and Koutarou go... It didn't take long for Mado to call for a medic after that... Apparently sometime after that she collapsed. But who could really blame her?


	36. Loose ends no longer

**_This is just tying all the rest of the side stories necessary up before we move to the final faze of the 2nd raid arc._**

**_Rize and Kanou Part_**_ **1**_

_This isn't very fun..._ Rize pouted to herself as she walked down a now blood splattered hallway. None of these ghouls or humans really excited her as much as she hoped. Now, of course she really wasn't here for them, she was here for that damned doctor, but still, she wanted to get her blood pumping. Looking at her however, you'd imagine she was having the time of her life. She was covered in red, heavy blood with a stench so strong that even a human could find her by sniffing her out if they tried. Severed heads and limbs laid strewn around her. Belonging to ghouls they were things she'd never touch, but she enjoyed breaking them all the same. _I suppose it's time to get down to business..._

The sound of foot steps sounded down the hallway once more and she turned, looking on as shadows stained along the blood stained walls.

"Dammit! Where the hell are we going?" An unidentified voice asked to whoever would answer.

"I don't know!" Came an answer in the sound of a female voice, "Shit! Just out of this place!"

"You fuckin' nuts!? Even if we get outta here, Tatara is just gonna come and find us all again. **He'll** kill us!" A newcomer spoke.

"If you think anyone is surviving this you're out of your fuckin' mind..."

Rize licked her lips behind her mask as they rounded the corner and they came to a complete stop, some comically bumping into the others. She couldn't see behind those smiling demon masks, but she could imagine, byt the sound of the sudden gag in their throats, they weren't feeling very confident about their escape anymore.

It took them a while, but the woman, who was more than likely the leader, finally spoke up, no doubt noticing that Rize had attacked indiscriminately both CCG and Aogiri. The eerie light probably didn't help her courage either. "W-who are you?" It was a shaky, quiet breath but Rize heard.

Rize though, didn't answer. Maybe it was to entertain herself, but she simply tilted her head and let long, purple locks fall to one side, the smiling doll mask making the image all the more eerie. She could tell that the girl, even from behind the mask and underneath that big red cloak, was trembling. Rize giggled then, a childish, sweet giggle that added to that fear that she was fearing... The girl didn't need to worry about a thing though, Rize needed her for something other than fun.

"Awww, don't be scared..." She coed sweetly as she softly made her way to the girl who had gone silent with fear. Rize was careful to step over the bodies that she had strewn about the corridor. On the ceiling, the walls, everywhere.

She then cupped gentle hands behind the girls ears and pulled her close. "I **need** you alive."

Rize could then feel the girl relax underneath her grasp, a sigh of relief escaping from behind her tight lips. Then Rize chuckled lightly. "Your friends though... Not so much."

"W-what!" She cried out. Her plea fell on deaf ears. Rize released her red tendrils. Spurting out of he lower back, just above the tail bone, and launched them towards the ghouls behind her. It was like chasing down fly's to her. They didn't even bother fighting back, they just ran about while the binge eater scrambled them like eggs.

It was done in a matter of moments. The girl in her graps was shaking, and Rize could swear she could hear her sobbing. "Hey now, don't cry..." she soothed, dragging a soft hand down the side of her face. "**You** don't need die... As long as you tell me what I want to know... Then you can go home... or wherever it is you want to go. Kay?"

The girl was still trembling, but she managed out a reply. "K-kay..."

"Good!" Rize chimed happily. "Now, what I need you from is simple." She explained, then leaned into her ear and whispered, "Where is doctor Kanou?"

* * *

_**Nashiro, Kurona, and Yoshimura**_

Nashiro held Kurona tightly as she slouched against her twin... Truth be told, Nashiro wished that someone could hold her as well. Never, even since they were little girls and Nashiro had hair as black as Kurona's had the twins been alone. Now that was changing.

Papa was leaving, that's what he told them earlier. He wasn't coming back, so he sent them away. Of course, the two girls weren't stupid, they Knew what **l****eaving **meant. The last of his research was here, he wasn't going to let the CCG destroy it, and he couldn't allow himself to be captured. He was erasing data and setting fire to his lab. He had a single handgun with him. It was a wonder how he got his hands on it, considering Japanese gun laws, but when you are as rich as papa almost nothing is out of reach.

They were walking in a hallway surrounded by corpses. You'd think that one would avoid gory red hallways, such as the one they were in. But that only meant the battle was farther from them.

But they didn't know why they were walking... Where could they go? They were lost children now. Nothing more than orphans... once again.

Then, the sound of footsteps echoed and Nashiro stiffened. She was certain no one was alive. It was funny, Ghouls, she was certain she could handle, but the CCG... That was a different story. Q-bullets made a difference.

Kurona began to hold tighter to her. "Are we... Going to die, too" she asked. "Like papa?"

Nashiro didn't respond. She didn't know what to tell her. Despite what their current situation made things seem, Nashiro was not ever the one to comfort... Well, she wasn't **good** at it. Her only acknowledgement of it was her returning a tight grip.

Then, from the shadows, appeared... an old man.

He resembled papa just a bit, Kurona noted. Though he had a bit more wrinkles than their pseudo father. His hair was completely gray, combed back, and almost shined in what little light illuminated the follicles. His eye's appeared to be closed from what Nashiro could see, but she couldn't tell from the distance. He wore a tattered, baggy cloak that dragged behind him.

"Oh dear..." he spoke, looking at them, his voice making Nashiro jump. "What happened to you two? You don't look like members of Aogiri."

Nashiro didn't speak. She'd learned, over life, not to trust others. She and Kurona both had learned that. They learned not to trust humans. They wanted no part of their world anymore. Only humans cared for people that they didn't know, only humans were so open, and this old man, who was undoubtedly a ghoul, was acting too human.

"You know..." he began as he continued to look at them, smiling now. It was a kind smile, it made the wrinkles on his face move in accordance. "I've had experience with your type before." He spoke as he moved his finger to point to one, now open, eye.

Nashiro remained silent.

"I understand your apprehensiveness towards me... It's a good thing to have. That's how you survive." He paused. "I imagine you have someone to get back to?"

"No..." She spoke, finally. "Not anymore..."

The man's expression changed, the wrinkles on his face began to droop and his lips angled downward. "I see..." he spoke, sympathy evident in his voice. "**My **daughter was once all alone like you two. Well... she thought she was alone." He then smiled and looked towards the girls. "She found her way back to me though..."

"We don't have anyone to go back to though..." Kurona spoke now, lifting her face away from her sisters body and laying her own eye's upon the man now. "Papa is going to be... Going to leave soon. He was all we had left."

"I'm sorry..." The elder spoke and let the silence fall over them.

Nashiro was looking at him, expecting something from him. She didn't know what. She wanted him to say something else. But, at the same time not. Not until he said it.

"Why don't you come with me?"

"What?" They said simultaneously, giving one another a quick glance.

"It's not easy being alone. I've learned that long ago. As safe as isolation seems, in the end you'll only find that you're missing the company of others." He reached out his hand and smiled. "My name is Yoshimura... What's yours?"

Nashiro looked at Yoshimura, mouth agape, a similar expression on her sisters face. She expected inner conflict. She **wanted **inner conflict. But there was nothing. Nothing but an urge, a heavy feeling telling her to take his hand.

"Nashiro and Kurona..." They synchronized.

* * *

_**Tatara**_

He could breath again, but that was about it, and it hurt to even do that.

Then, hoping to make it easier for air to inflate his lungs, which were pushing themselves, he tore off that crimson mask and began to take in deep, labored breaths. He'd heal completely, and the Owl knew that. But, more importantly, what they both knew is that before that would happen he would be killed by the CCG. Tatara knew and accepted it as a fact. It was fate. He knew that this was what he deserved- he knew that what he was doing was evil. He just viewed it as necessary evil.

_Even so... I'd rather not be killed lying on my back._

With that Tatara began to roll over unto his side, releasing a groan of pain. It was little in comparison to the anguish his rib cage was going through. It was like his ribs were bendy straws and the pain in his groin resonated deep. It hurt, but he would be damned before he would be killed lying on his back. He caught his body, using one arm to keep himself from rolling on to his stomach and began to push himself up.

This time he screamed, but he continued it all the way through. Unfortunately, not even that was the hardest part. When he looked up at the only door way into or out of the room, his heart sank. He would never let it be known, but he was actually scared. His face didn't betray a single emotion though as he stared into familiar eyes.

The body attached to those eye's was a Japanese man. His hair combed back and his jaw firm and set as he- and his his brown haired subordinate looked on. _Houji..._

"At least let me get on my feet before you kill me..." Tatara asked, as a dying wish of sorts.

There was a silence and then Houji finally spoke. "Take your time."

* * *

_**Rize and Kanou part 2**_

She'd gotten rid of the girl... Not killed, gotten rid of. Who knew, huh? That Rize Kamishiro had a conscience at all? Not even she did, honestly. But, to be fair, she didn't particularly care about the girl. Not as she was currently staring face to face with Kanou, inside this burning room.

"So, you're burning your research?" she asked, mocking interest in the mans affairs.

"Yes." was his reply. "I can't let the CCG get their hands on it... Who knows how they'd botch it? I also can't let them find me though. That's why I've decided to take my own life. I no longer have an options. I can't continue my research with out any data..." He paused, maintaining eye contact with the sadist of a woman. "But even so, I wan't to thank you. Without you. None of this would have been possible."

Rize almost twitched at that. "Oh my, doctor. You're so kind..."

"And, I'd like to ask another Favour of you..." He spoke.

"Oh, and what's that?"

"After you kill me. Don't go after those two twins. Their suffering is my fault too."

Rize smiled.

* * *

**_Angel of Death_**

Kaneki was in the inner courtyard now. It was reminiscent of the time with Ayato half a year ago. The blue light of the moon reigned down upon everything it could illuminating the courtyard with everything in it. The brick, the plants, the flowers, the man clad in white at the opposite end, and the field of wilted flowers that surrounded him... But most people would call them bodies.


	37. Angel of Death

Kaneki stood as motionless as a corpse when rigor mortis. The moonlight stretched over the courtyard illuminating the man, whose hair was as white as the eye-patch's own, whom stood in a field of bodies, all of which where coated in the red of either their cloaks or their blood. His glasses reflected Ken, and the young half-ghoul looked at himself for the first time in months. He looked so different from how he saw himself. he was first surprised by his mask, which he had forgotten was even on at all. But more so, at himself. It was hard to believe how much he'd changed. It was almost impossible to believe how much he'd changed. What once was a scrawny college student was now the... the thing that had beaten the S-rated Jason, exterminated the ghoul restaurant in the 20th ward, and was the orchestrator of a infiltration on Aogiri.

Ken frowned, he didn't like looking at his reflection. This was when he figured it out, the worried looks Eto had sent him, that everyone had sent him. Now was when he figured out why. Honestly, he wouldn't have been any different had it been one of them.

The man took a step forward, his booted foot making a crunching sound as it broke the arm of a dead man, and bringing Kaneki back to reality. Kaneki had only ever fought one investigator, and honestly, at the time, he'd only won because he'd caught the man off guard with his kagune. But he had a feeling that this man was worlds more dangerous than the man Kaneki had fought off.

He took a moment to examine the weapon in his left hand. It looked clean, unstained. Like he hadn't killed any of the ghouls that lay at his feet. Kaneki figured that talking wouldn't do any good. He released his kagune and watched as it unfolded itself slowly, somewhat like a snake. He felt his sclea turn black and his iris change to a blood red. It didn't intimidate the man though, he hadn't even slowed his advance.

Kaneki didn't have the time, apprehensiveness forgotten, he took off towards him.

That was a mistake.

It seemed that Kaneki's movement was determined by the man's will. Like he had planned on him leaping forward. Because as he did so, The investigator brought up his quinque, which remided Kaneki of a rapier, but the blade didn't look like it was made for penetration, not entirely, it was rectangular. As he brought up said rectangular rapier, he twisted the handle ever so slightly, causing the blade to sever and bend.

It was then that Kaneki figured out how he had remained so clean, despite him being surrounded by death, as those bright, yellow bolts of electricity rushed at him. It was lightning in the palm of the mans hand. So, true to the nature of lightening, Kaneki couldn't avoid it completely. Kaneki quickly stuck his four tendrils into the ground, letting the lightening hit him, however, he survived.

His plan worked, he used his kagune as a lightening rod. Now that wasn't to say he was unharmed, because he wasn't. His skin was burning, and he could feel his fingers dancing wildly as the remaining jolts danced on his nerves and muscle. The only thing that kept him going at the moment was adrenaline and the thought of freeing Eto. He would have to get closer to him than he was now if he wanted to survive. He couldn't take a hit like that again.

The man, to Kaneki's advantage, then leaped towards him, forming another bolt in his quinque. Kaneki had to telegraph it this time, or he'd be dead. Nothing can outrun that type of attack, not at the range he was at.

The white haired investigator then stuck his heels into the ground and threw his left arm forward. Right at that moment, Kaneki swerved to the right. It was almost to late however, as Kaneki felt the hair on the back of his neck tingle when the bolt rushed by it.

If the man was worried though, he didn't show it, as Kaneki brought his Kagune out an angled it towards him. He wasn't aiming to kill the man... As much as he'd done the past few weeks he wasn't ready to kill... least not anyone who didn't wrong him in any way. First he wrapped the pulsing red tentacles around the man's transformed blade, closing it tightly and pulling on it, trying to free it from his grasp.

"You can have it..." The man said. Kaneki couldn't even tell if his politeness was mocking or not, as he watched the man release the weapon and step back.

He moved like a dancer, Kaneki noted, as he grace fully fell back, only to bring out another suitcase.

There was something different about this one though. It wasn't the standard, slightly reflected steel that was the norm for Investigator quinques. This was far more... elegant. It was pitch black, like the leather Kaneki's own mask was made of, and it had a gold trim, reminding Kaneki of some kind of royal decoration.

The case then morphed, twisting it's shape and expanding. It was another type of sword now. It was long, pointed, and instead of a hilt it simply got wider and wider as it got closer to the grip. It was reminiscent of a jousting lance. It was black, just like the suitcase, with that gold trim wrapping around certain parts of the blade. The mand face never changed, he simply stared on, as if bored by it all.

Kaneki looked down at the rapier he had stolen and realized he still had it curled in his Kagune... He let it drop.

The moment it touched the ground the investigator took off.

Kaneki took off as well, kagune at the ready.

As they drew closer, and Kaneki began to ready himself for the fight, he watched, in amazement, as the man almost disappeared. Actually, he didn't disappear... KAneki just couldn't believe his speed. Quickly the man had stopped himself and moved to the side. Kaneki followed in suit, passing him just a bit and turning to look back at him.

_Where'd he-_ He felt it as a slight itch at first, but soon enough it turned into a burning pain... An appropriate feeling for a sword traveling through the back of your head and out your eye.

"GYAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Kaneki was sure his scream was blood curtling, but to him it was only a whisper compared to the things going through his brain.

_It's going through me BRAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN! My my my my my my my my my my my my mine mine mine mine mine mine mine mine- I can't- I don't- did I ever? It Hurthsss... I'm burning and I'm freezing. And, I can't stand eeeeiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiittttttttttttt..._

Kaneki began to stumble, blood pooling down the right side of his face, where the eyepatch had once covered his now missing eye. His Kagune then, in accordance to the twisted state of his mind, began to corkscrew... literally, twisting and whipping around wildly as he stumbled around. He wasn't even quite sure of where he was anymore, or what he was doing, he just knew that it hurt. His Kakuja mask was dissolving and forming continuously and his Kagune was reacting to it.

_I-I- CAN STILL DO IT... I CAN STILL FIGHT... IT'S JUST AN AN AN AN AN AN AN AN AN AN AN AN AN AN EYE._

But, Kaneki couldn't fight back, he was on his back, laying still now. He looked, from what one could see in the single eye that he had left, peaceful, in a far away place, unaware of the angel of death standing above him, just about to put him out of his misery.

But, deep down Kaneki new something like this was bound to happen... It was like Eto had said when they first met, he looked like the main character from a tragedy...

* * *

_**BUT NOTHING IS SET IN STONE.**_

* * *

Just as special class Arima was about to deliver the final blow upon this new ghoul... whom had given him quite the surprise when he'd apprehended Narukami, the concrete above them exploded, sending a rain of dusty, hard rocks down upon them. They were hardly big enough to hurt, but never the less, Arima shielded his head from them with his forearm.

When the dust cleared there was a single figure above, looking down unto him and the young ghoul who lay, almost dead at his feet. _Of course it's you... But you look a bit different now..._ He thought as he stared at the beastly looking one eye'd owl as it clung to the side of a wall on all fours like an animal.

It began to twitch and squirm underneath it's own shell. Arima instinctively began to move, he'd seen this motion from it before. It'd been ten years but he wouldn't forget what followed the Owl's spasms. Arima leaped away from the incapacitated boy beneath him, who was mumbling incoherent gibberish. A hail storm of pulsing, giant shards rained down upon the spot where he stood, narrowly missing the white-haired ghoul... **purposefully** missing him.

By the time he stood back up, the Owl was standing over the ghoul, positioned like some kind of wild animal. What happened next was curious, to say the least, the owl, reached under it's belly and grabbed the critically injured ghoul. It took a moment to examine it and finally swallowed him whole. Arima could even see the bulge form in the owls gullet, small as it was as it rested in it's belly.

It then looked back at him... That stare of rage, coupled with the RC cells simply pouring from it's Kakuja form. It would've shaken any lesser man. But, for Arima this wasn't a matter of courage. It was simply something he did.

* * *

Eto pushed through her Kakuja, moving from it's head towards the gut and grabbing hold of Kaneki. "No, no, no, no, no..." she began repeating to herself, grabbing him and looking at the gaping hole where his eye would be. She could practically see right through it. "Don't leave me, too... Don't leave **us**." Tears in her eye's, she looked at the whole intently. That was when she saw it. The brain tissue and matter was, though slowly, stitching itself back together.

She almost laughed in joy... But there wasn't any time for that, now she had to get away... Protecting both Kaneki and her child... It wasn't an ideal situation and as angry as she was at Arima right, and she was angry, she couldn't risk fighting a battle she wasn't sure she could win.

She took off, scaling the building quickly, breaking into zigzag patterns, as to throw off Arima's plan of attack.

But, that hardly mattered to him, he simply picked up Narukami and began to throw bolts at her. He truly was a monster, he was almost able to predict where she would jump, barely missing by a few centimeters only. It wasn't look good... But, somehow, she had made it to the top, out of harms way. He'd stopped firing on her for some reason... But she didn't care too look back...

* * *

Arima had been interrupted for the second time that night... Honestly, he didn't know how they managed to do it, but he was thrown off target. Whoever this was, they had tried to penetrate him with an all to familiar kagune. One he'd just seen... That had raised some interest.

He had orange hair, it seemed brown in the dark, but the moonlight hit it just enough to show it's true color. He wasn't wearing a mask either... He was either brave... or he didn't expect to survive this. And in one eye, was a pulsing red kakugan.

Arima simply flicked his wrist and a bolt surged through Narukami.

The ghoul didn't make a sound, he simply smiled to himself. A peaceful, innocent smile.

* * *

**Authors Note: The next chapter will be the last chapter for the story. In case I forget to say it in that chapter, I'd like to thank all of you for all the input that I've received and for following it from the very beginning and to those of you who just kept reading. Those of you who got so invested that you messaged me of you who told your friends everyone. Hard to believe it's been 9 months since I started this fic. But it's been very fun writing for all of you. I'll try to have the new chapter up before the end of today. I would've included it here, but I feel it needs it's own page. Til then**


	38. Wake Up

Labored breaths echoed inside Kanekis ears. It wasn't discomfort that he felt, but it didn't feel pleasant. His face felt hot, like the type of feeling you get when you have a cold. It was dark... but that was probably because his eye's were closed. His eye's...

Kaneki shot up, finding himself wrapped in a blanket and in a familiar, sweet smelling room. It was the guest room- his room... The lights were out, the only illumination was brought in by the open window turning everything in the room into a hue of blue. The walls, the bed frame, Kaneki's own skin, and that green tuff of hair that sat on a chair, hunched over and face down on the covers next to him.

"E- eto..." words felt like jelly pooling out of his mouth. That must've been an effect of having a hole in your head. With that thought in mind, Kaneki quickly shot his hand up to his right eye, which he'd kept closed the entire time... if he even still had it. He tentativly began to press his finger unto it, half expecting his hand to go right through... It didn't, he was met with the soft skin over his eye.

He slowly opened it after that, and, at first, his vision was blurry, but that soon faded away.

He brought his hand down slowly, calming down a bit, gently resting it at his side.

That's when Eto opened her eye's. Maybe it took her a while to register, maybe it was just disbelief, but where she hesitated at first she practically tackled Kaneki unto the mattress, holding him close. Kaneki smiled, it was an all to familiar feeling, being held by her like this.

"I was so scared for you..." She whispered to him, as she laid above him, lazily draping her arms around his neck. "I didn't want to lose you like I lost my mother... And I didn't want **them** to loose you like I lost my mother... I-I love you..."

Kaneki smiled at the words as he lay underneath her and he felt a warmth in his chest. "I... Love you too..." He paused, "But who is them?"

Eto smiled as she brought her lips to his and planted a kiss softly with a tender warmth on her own. "I'm pregnant."

She said it with such a normality, as if it he'd known it before hand. It made him laugh, a mixture of joy and comedy.

It wasn't but 8 months or so later that their daughter, Ukina, had been born.

_**End.**_

* * *

_**Like I said before, thank everyone for all their support over these past few months. It means a lot. But don't worry, this wont be the last you see of this pairing, or this AU for that matter, that's right, while not a real "Sequel" I do plan to make chapter long short stories for this in another story, focusing solely on Eto,Ken, and their before that I have two projects I need to get rolling first. Rehabilitation and a new Devil May Cry fic. The Devil May Cry one I'm quite excited for... It should hold fans like me over until DMC5 is announced(please?)**_

_**Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this series, I know I sure did. Writing for you guys has been so much fun.**_


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